Palestinians win upgrade to 'state ' at UN. What does that change? (+video)

The UN General Assembly's 138-to-9 vote officially put 'Palestine' together with 'state' for the first time. But it appeared to offer little practical change. Even Palestinians called it part of a 'process.'

By Howard LaFranchi,?Staff writer / November 29, 2012

Members of the Palestinian delegation react as they surround Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (c.) who applauds during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly after a vote on a resolution on the issue of upgrading the Palestinian Authority's status to non-member observer state passed in the United Nations in New York, Thursday.

Kathy Willens/AP

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The Palestinian mission at the United Nations won an upgrade from an ?entity? to a ?state? ? albeit one with nonvoting observer status ? in a lopsided vote in the General Assembly Thursday.

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The United Nations voted on Thursday to recognize Palestine as a state. CBS news' Jim Axelrod reports.

The 138-to-9 vote, with 41 abstentions, put Palestinians front and center on the international stage for the second time in two weeks, following the recent fighting between Israel and the Palestinians of Hamas-ruled Gaza. The vote also, for the first time, officially puts ?Palestine? together with the word ?state,? giving Palestinians the same status at the UN held by the Vatican.

In a speech to the General Assembly in New York before the vote, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the status upgrade the ?birth certificate of Palestine? and said it represented ?the last chance to save the two-state solution? for the Palestinians and Israel.

The timing of the vote was suffused with historical significance, since it fell on the 65th anniversary of the General Assembly?s vote on Nov. 29, 1947, to partition British-ruled Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab.???

But the UN decision, opposed by Israel and the United States appeared to offer little immediate or practical change, with even Palestinian leaders emphasizing the promise of the status change.

?Now that we have state status, it?s not a miraculous transformation,? said Hanan Ashrawi, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization?s Executive Committee, ?but it begins a process.?

The strong backing for enhanced Palestinian status, including from a large number of European countries, reflected a widespread desire to boost the fortunes of Mr. Abbas and the Palestinian Authority at a moment when the militant Hamas is enjoying newfound support, particularly among Arab countries. Supporters of the initiative said it would enhance chances for peace in the region.

But Israel?s ambassador to the UN, Ron Proser, told the Assembly before the vote that the bid ?doesn?t advance peace ? it pushes it backwards? by circumventing negotiations between the parties.

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the vote ?changes nothing.?

?Peace can only be achieved one way,? he said, ?through direct negotiations between the parties without preconditions, and not through one-sided decisions at the UN that totally ignore Israel?s vital security needs.??

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/yJunHW2BP-0/Palestinians-win-upgrade-to-state-at-UN.-What-does-that-change-video

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Carrie Underwood will play Maria von Trapp in NBC's 'The Sound of Music'

Carrie Underwood will take on the part famously portrayed by Julie Andrews in the 1965 film.

By Associated Press / November 30, 2012

Carrie Underwood became a well-known singer after winning the Fox reality singing competition 'American Idol' in 2005.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

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Carrie?Underwood will star in NBC's live broadcast of "The Sound of Music" late next year.

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A news release says the former "American Idol" champion and Grammy-winning country star will play Maria von Trapp in a live performance based on the musical. It will air around the holidays in 2013.

The role is Underwood's most significant work as an actress yet. She played a small part in the 2011 film "Soul Surfer" and has served as co-host of the Country Music Association Awards for five years.

In von Trapp, she's tackling a beloved character. The Rodgers & Hammerstein musical debuted on Broadway in 1959, and the 1965 film starring Julie Andrews won the best picture Academy Award.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/qRerKNBQGXo/Carrie-Underwood-will-play-Maria-von-Trapp-in-NBC-s-The-Sound-of-Music

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AIDS drug roll-out boosts South African life expectancy

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa has achieved a "stunning" increase in life expectancy in the last three years due to a government push to roll out antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to people with HIV/AIDS, researchers said on Thursday.

The average South African is now likely to live to the age of 60, a study in the Lancet medical journal said, compared with just 56.5 in 2009 when President Jacob Zuma came to power with promises of a new approach to the country's HIV/AIDS burden.

Africa's biggest economy is home to 6 million HIV/AIDS sufferers but under Zuma's predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, the government was reluctant to provide the life-prolonging drugs, the study said.

Nearly 2 million people are now taking ARVs daily in what is the world's largest ARV programme. That total compares with 912,000 in 2009 and just 235,000 three years before that.

Although overall infection rates have stayed constant at around 10 percent since 2006, the study's authors said such a dramatic increase in life expectancy was unheard-of.

"There are many factors that contribute to life expectancy but the single most important one was the expansion of the ARV treatment programme," said Professor Salim Abdool Karim, director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa and a member of the Lancet South Africa team.

"That increase in life expectancy is nothing short of stunning. You don't see those kinds of increases in the real world."

Lead researcher Bongani Mayosi from the University of Cape Town singled out Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi for praise in reversing the policies of Mbeki, whose health minister outraged activists by questioning the effectiveness of ARVs and championing the benefits of garlic and beetroot instead.

"We have no doubt that the new administration that came in 2009 was eager to make an improvement on the disastrous record of the first 15 years of the ANC government," Mayosi said.

South Africa still faced formidable challenges however, particularly in reducing huge racial disparities in housing, employment and access to health services, Mayosi said.

Just 10.3 percent of black South Africans, who make up 80 percent of the population, have medical insurance, compared with 70.9 percent for whites, who make up just 10 percent of the overall 52 million population, the study showed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/aids-drug-roll-boosts-south-african-life-expectancy-053632227.html

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Palestinians say UN bid is last-ditch peace effort

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) ? A Palestinian spokeswoman says a bid to seek U.N. recognition of a state of Palestine in Israeli-occupied lands is a last-ditch attempt to rescue the troubled Mideast peace efforts.

Hanan Ashrawi, a senior official with the Palestinian Liberation Organization, urged the U.S. on Wednesday to drop its opposition to the bid, calling Washington's stance "pathetic" and harmful to American interests in the Arab world.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is to ask the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday to recognize Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967. Overwhelming approval is likely, while the U.S., Israel and a few others are opposed.

Ashrawi says the Palestinians withstood intense U.S. pressure to drop the bid.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/palestinians-un-bid-last-ditch-peace-effort-122127535.html

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Past hosts teaming for Spike Video Game Awards

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/past-hosts-teaming-spike-video-game-awards-124508037.html

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Customer Service/Callcenter Jobs

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Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Dubai Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0 Originally from philippines. Expat in uae.

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I'm a Customer Service Executive with 7yrs US and Canada Callcenter experience looking for fulltime work in Dubai. Would anyone know where I could apply? I'd appreciate your help...
Thanks!

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Source: http://www.expatforum.com/expats/dubai-expat-forum-expats-living-dubai/133867-customer-service-callcenter-jobs.html

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Installed price of solar photovoltaic systems in US continues to decline at rapid pace

ScienceDaily (Nov. 27, 2012) ? The installed price of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the United States fell substantially in 2011 and through the first half of 2012, according to the latest edition of Tracking the Sun, an annual PV cost-tracking report produced by the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).

The median installed price of residential and commercial PV systems completed in 2011 fell by roughly 11 to 14 percent from the year before, depending on system size, and, in California, prices fell by an additional 3 to 7 percent within the first six months of 2012. These recent installed price reductions are attributable, in large part, to dramatic reductions in PV module prices, which have been falling precipitously since 2008.

The report indicates that non-module costs -- such as installation labor, marketing, overhead, inverters, and the balance of systems -- have also fallen significantly over time. "The drop in non-module costs is especially important," notes report co-author Ryan Wiser of Berkeley Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division, "as these costs can be most readily influenced by local, state, and national policies aimed at accelerating deployment and removing market barriers." According to the report, average non-module costs for residential and commercial systems declined by roughly 30 percent from 1998 to 2011, but have not declined as rapidly as module prices in recent years. As a result, non-module costs now represent a sizable fraction of the installed price of PV systems, and continued deep reduction in the price of PV will require concerted emphasis on lowering the portion of non-module costs associated with so-called "business process" or "soft" costs.

The report indicates that the median installed price of PV systems installed in 2011 was $6.10 per watt (W) for residential and small commercial systems smaller than 10 kilowatts (kW) in size and was $4.90/W for larger commercial systems of 100 kW or more in size. Utility-sector PV systems larger than 2,000 kW in size averaged $3.40/W in 2011. Report co-author Galen Barbose, also of Berkeley Lab, stresses the importance of keeping these numbers in context, noting that "these data provide a reliable benchmark for systems installed in the recent past, but prices have continued to decline over time, and PV systems being sold today are being offered at lower prices."

Based on these data and on installed price data from other major international PV markets, the authors suggest that PV prices in the United States may be driven lower through large-scale deployment programs, but that other factors are also important in achieving installed price reductions.

The market for solar PV systems in the United States has grown rapidly over the past decade, as national, state and local governments offered various incentives to expand the solar market and accelerate cost reductions. This fifth edition in Berkeley Lab's Tracking the Sun reportseries describes historical trends in the installed price of PV in the United States, and examines more than 150,000 residential, commercial, and utility-sector PV systems installed between 1998 and 2011 across 27 states, representing roughly 76 percent of all grid-connected PV capacity installed in the United States. Na?m Darghouth, also with Berkeley Lab, explains that "the study is intended to provide policy makers and industry observers with a reliable and detailed set of historical benchmarks for tracking and understanding past trends in the installed price of PV."

Prices Differ by Region and by Size and Type of System

The study also highlights the significant variability in PV system pricing, some of which is associated with differences in installed prices by region and by system size and installation type. Comparing across U.S. states, for example, the median installed price of PV systems less than 10 kW in size that were completed in 2011 and ranged from $4.90/W to $7.60/W, depending on the state.

It also shows that PV installed prices exhibit significant economies of scale. Among systems installed in 2011, the median price for systems smaller than 2 kW was $7.70/W, while the median price for large commercial systems greater than 1,000 kW in size was $4.50/W. Utility-scale systems installed in 2011 registered even lower prices, with most systems larger than 10,000 kW ranging from $2.80/W to $3.50/W.

The report also finds that the installed price of residential PV systems on new homes has generally been significantly lower than the price of similarly sized systems installed as retrofits to existing homes, that building integrated PV systems have generally been higher priced than rack-mounted systems, and that systems installed on tax-exempt customer sites have generally been priced higher than those installed at residential and for-profit commercial customer sites.

Price Declines for PV System Owners in 2011 Were Offset by Falling Incentives

State agencies and utilities in many regions offer rebates or other forms of cash incentives for residential and commercial PV systems. According to the report, the median pre-tax value of such cash incentives ranged from $0.90/W to $1.20/W for systems installed in 2011, depending on system size. These incentives have declined significantly over time, falling by roughly 80 percent over the past decade, and by 21 percent to 43 percent from just 2010 to 2011. Rather than a direct cash incentive, some states with renewables portfolio standards provide financial incentives for solar PV by creating a market for solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs), and SREC prices have also fallen dramatically in recent years. These declines in cash incentives and SREC prices have, to a significant degree, offset recent installed price reductions, dampening any overall improvement in the customer economics of solar PV.

The report Tracking the Sun V: An Historical Summary of the Installed Price of Photovoltaics in the United States from 1998 to 2011, by Galen Barbose, Na?m Darghouth, and Ryan Wiser, may be downloaded from: http://emp.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/LBNL-5919e-REPORT.pdf.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/AbBJiWU30oQ/121127130258.htm

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Content Strategy Guide: 10 Elements of Content Strategy for the Web

Content strategy is a relatively new niche discipline in the digital space. It shares common ground with user experience (UX), interface design, web development, SEO, content marketing, public relations and traditional ?offline? marketing.

This article highlights some of the leading concepts of content strategy, how it fits in with its neighbouring disciplines, and shares some practical guidelines that anyone in the digital space ? especially those new to content strategy ? should consider before embarking on their own content strategy.

These findings were inspired by industry experts who presented at the Content Strategy Forum 2012 in Cape Town.

Below are 10 things you need to know to meet a content strategy?s ultimate goal of (1) fulfilling users? expectations and (2) meeting business objectives.

1. ?Content strategy requires teamwork

We?ve all heard the maxim ?content is king? over and over. But content alone cannot bring a digital project to life. Content has to work closely with its peer-disciplines.

According to Kristina Halvorson, CEO of BrainTraffic and founder of ConFab, teamwork is essential when it comes to content strategy. The peer-disciplines that should crucially be consulted during the content strategy phase are:

• User Experience
• Design
• Information Architecture
• Copywriting
• Development
• Search Engine Optimization
• Marketing
• Public Relations
• Business stakeholders

As with most things in life, this egalitarian approach can lead to the ?too many cooks? problem.

Rachel Lovinger from Razorfish described how their digital agency addresses this problem: ?For digital projects, we first assemble a ?CRUX team.? We assign one, or more, senior person from Creative and one, or more, senior person from UX. They work with the Strategy group to lay the foundation for the overall digital concept, including the content strategy. Once that?s defined, we broaden our focus and bring on specialists from various peer-disciplines.?

Whether you?re a large or small team, it is essential that a holistic view of content creation and implementation is taken.

Bottom line: Good content strategy requires team effort from all peer-disciplines.

2. ?Consider content AND the people that create your content

As mentioned, the main objective of an effective content strategy is to meet users? expectations and fulfil business goals.

Halvorson, co-author of Content Strategy for the Web and one of the web?s first content strategists, developed a framework that not only focuses on the actual content, but also the people that create the content.

Her belief is that by keeping the workflow and governance factors in mind when developing a content strategy, we can deliver more useful and more usable content to online audiences, whilst meeting business objectives.

Halvorson?s content strategy framework ?The Quad? includes Content Components and People Components.

Content Components:

• Substance ? topics, tone, style, what message we need to communicate
• Structure ? how we prioritize and break up the content into building blocks

People components:

• Workflow ? the process, tools and resources we need to create and maintain content
• Governance ? consistency, integrity and quality of the content

Bottom line: Considering content AND the people that create the content will help in meeting users? expectations and achieving business objectives.

3. ?Match your writing to your audience?s literacy level

Angela Colter from Electronic Ink did a series of user tests with people of varying literacy levels. The results of her research shows that users with low literacy levels struggle to complete basic tasks on websites that have content written for people with high literacy levels.

When using websites that require a low literacy level, lower literacy users completed their tasks faster and with less frustration. That seems fairly obvious, right?

One incidental discovery from this research, however, was that users with high literacy levels also scored much better when the language on the website was of a lower level.

Bottom line: Keep your language simple and clear. Your low and high literacy users will thank you for it.

4. ?The Five W?s (and H) of content marketing strategy

Anyone schooled in journalism will be familiar with the Five W?s and H of journalism: Who, What, Why, When, Where and How.

Purists argue that a story isn?t complete unless all six questions are answered. It?s certainly valid in a journalism sense, since omission of any of these questions will leave a hole in your story.

So how does this relate to content strategy for the web? Rick Yagodich of Think Info has reshuffled the sequence of the Five W?s (and H) to provide a checklist that online content strategists can use to ensure their content strategy is watertight:

• Why ? Know the business case and objectives. Why are you embarking on this project?
• What ? What is the message?
• Who ? Who is the audience?
• Where ? Where will the message be read (location, device, context)?
• How ? How should we present/structure the content?
• When ? Timing of the process to create and publish the content.

Bottom line: The Five W?s (and H) provide a checklist to ensure your content strategy covers all bases.

5. ?Voice and tone matter

Voice and tone are extremely powerful ?front line? tools in the content strategist?s toolkit.

A brand?s voice reflects its personality and identity. It should be consistent across all content. Tone on the other hand, can, and should, adapt according to the context of the content.

According to Kate Kiefer Lee, content curator at MailChimp, a brand?s tone should vary depending on the emotional state of readers. For example, humour on a welcome page can build likability and loyalty. But in a warning message, it can result in exactly the opposite.

MailChimp is so passionate about voice and tone that they have created a website called www.voiceandtone.com. The website shows their writers how to use the MailChimp voice for the brand?s various content types (blog posts, tweets, ?compliance alert messages? and even their mascot?s jokes). It?s a great resource for their team and very useful for anyone who wants to create a voice and tone guide for their own brand.

1000 points to you, MailChimp. Oook oook.

MailChimp?s voice is consistent, while its tone varies according to the user?s emotions in different contexts.

Bottom line: Creating a style guide that defines your brand?s voice and tone will enhance your users? experience and strengthen your brand image.

6. ?SEO is not dead

With recent Google algorithm updates like Panda and Penguin, people from various digital genres have been claiming that SEO is dead. The general consensus is that it?s getting harder and harder to game your way to the top of page 1.

This is mostly true. Google has managed to mitigate, penalize and in some cases even blacklist websites that implement ?Black Hat? SEO tactics. Techniques like ?hidden text? (white text on white background), ?cloaking? (showing different content to Googlebot vs. real users) and ?link spam? (buying hundreds of links from low-quality websites) all used to work, to some extent. Not so much anymore.

So does this all mean that SEO is dead? ?Unfortunately, I can't say that Black Hat SEO is dead or even dying.? says Jonathon Colman, in-house SEO for REI, an online retailer of outdoor clothing and gear. ?Perhaps a better way of putting it is that White Hat SEO and inbound marketing ? genuinely earning attention and positive recognition by helping users to meet their goals (both online and off) ? is rewarded more than ever by search engines nowadays.?

He goes on to say that ?SEO is, or should be, a core part of every content strategy. Content strategists are well-positioned not only to govern content so that it follows webmaster guidelines from the search engines, but also to plan and create content that builds brands instead of just using keywords.?

It is more important than ever to follow Google?s quality guidelines for success in the search results, and to avoid any known SEO tricks. Google even provides a checklist of SEO tactics to avoid.

Bottom line: Every content strategy needs to incorporate SEO best practice to be effective.

7. ?Break your content into chunks

When it comes to implementing content into a content management system (CMS), it is vital to break large pieces of content into smaller ?chunks.?

For any given piece of content, if your CMS only has a single massive WYSIWYG field to enter content into, it would be very difficult to separate that content out into smaller pieces later on, should the need arise.

The right approach, according to Lovinger, is to get your web developers (or whoever is responsible for setting up the CMS) to have separate fields for the chunks that make up your content piece.

By breaking your content into chunks, it can flow into different presentations and be used in flexible ways.

For example:

• The desktop version of a web page might show all ?chunks? ? e.g. the headline, summary, 4?x?images, a video, 800?words of copy, 3 quotations, a few reviews, a list of recommended further reading and a ?book now? button.
• Whereas the mobile version of that same web page might only have room on the tiny screen for the most important (or mobile-relevant) ?chunks? ? e.g. the headline, summary, 1?x?image, 200 words of copy and a ?book now? button.

Many mobile sites only display a portion of the content that their desktop counterparts display.

Bottom line: Structure content into its smallest building blocks in your CMS so that content can be re-assembled flexibly for use in different contexts and on different devices.

8. ?Get your developers to wrap your content in metadata

Metadata, in a web development context, is a set of programming guidelines that web developers can use to help search engines (and other applications) better understand content on a webpage.

For example, if you were to write on your blog that you refuse to buy apples, you could use metadata to tell search engines whether you?re talking about <fruit>apples</fruit> or <computer>apples</computer>.

(Please note that neither <fruit> nor <computer> are valid metadata formats. I?ve just used them to illustrate the point.)

Here is a valid metadata example however:

The difference in HTML markup for the movie ?Ice Age 2?, without and with metadata using the microdata format.

So in the above example, Google (or any application that is able to read metadata), can identify that ?Ice Age 2? refers to a movie (not the actual second ice age). So, if someone searches for ?Ice Age 2? in a search engine, the search engine could display additional information about the movie in the search results (e.g. the movie poster, the trailer, reviews, actors, etc), as seen in Google Knowledge Graph results. Google and Yahoo! have been doing this for a while already and we can be sure that they?ll be expanding this technology into all spheres of life, for all sorts of search terms.

Metadata enables search engines like Google and Yahoo! to fetch rich content relating to a search query.

Bruce Lawson is a web standards evangelist for Opera Software and a major pusher for the adoption of metadata. He points out that, although there are quite a few different metadata standards that have emerged over the years, he recommends microdata as the standard to choose, primarily because it has the backing of all the big search engine adoption (Google, Yahoo!, Bing and Yandex).

So why should online content strategists be concerned with metadata, when it sounds like something developers get excited about?

• Metadata can help your content stand out from the crowd in the search results.
• Metadata can give more meaning to your content if viewed in unexpected contexts (e.g. TripAdvisor reviews that appear on other websites).
• Metadata can give more meaning to your content if viewed on different devices (e.g. mobile, tablet, TV, etc).

Bottom line: Get your developers to wrap your content with metadata to achieve a greater visibility in search results and a richer user experience when browsing.

9. ?Get your developers to embrace web standards (and HTML5)

Web standards are a set of standardized best practices that developers can, and should, use when building websites. The standards have been written by a group consisting of all major browser manufacturers and the big search engines.

To help non-developers understand web standards, we can think about newspapers: the front page of a newspaper is typically reserved for breaking news, the back page is typically reserved for sports news. There is no law or governing body that says it has to be this way. Rather, it is a commonly accepted convention amongst newspaper publishers, and something that newspaper readers have become accustomed to.

The main reasons for getting your developers to build websites with web standards are so that the content on our websites:

• Displays consistently across all browsers (old and new, desktop and mobile)
• Can be thoroughly crawled and indexed by search engines (resulting in better rankings)
• Can take advantage of the new features that are being introduced into the web?s most comprehensive web standard, HTLM5

HTML5 is effectively a superset of web standards. It incorporates many new features like <video>, <audio> and <canvas> elements, as well as the integration of scalable vector graphics (SVG) content (images that can scale beautifully no matter what the browsing device?s screen size is).

There are dozens of HTML5 features which will enrich users? experience in the years to come. If your developers aren?t talking about HTML5 already, it?s time to buy them a t-shirt.

Bruce Lawson, author of the book Introducing HTML5, is ridiculously serious about HTML5.

Bottom line: Web standards and HTML5 are important for better visibility in search engines, a consistent message across all browsers and a richer experience for users.

10. ?Build platforms that allow users to tell their stories

Perhaps the most important, and humbling, aspect of any content strategy is the realization that the content you create is not the most important content on your website.

The most important content on your website should be your users? content.

Luke Wroblewski is the author of three popular web design books. He has held senior product positions at Silicon Valley giants eBay and Yahoo! and is one of the most respected evangelists for what he refers to as the ?read/write web.?

He points out that the most visited websites nowadays exist purely because of their read/write nature. Websites like Facebook, Twitter, Google and YouTube allow users to add their own content, as well as view and engage with other users? content. Blogging and CMS platforms like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, ExpressionEngine, Tumblr, Weebly and Yola empower millions of people every day to create and share their content with relative ease.

The web?s most popular sites empower users to tell their stories.

Wroblewski asserts that ?to have a truly meaningful content strategy, we need to embrace the read/write concept?. At a bare minimum, we need to engage on existing platforms. At best, we need to start creating our own platforms where our audiences can create, publish, engage and share their own content.

?There is a wide range of considerations and strategic decisions relating to content that emerges from taking on the ?write? aspect of the web. Most folks are focused only on publishing content out, which is important, but perhaps not as effective on the web as also taking content in.?

Bottom line: Our users? stories are more important than our own. We must build platforms that allow our users to tell their stories.

In Conclusion

In order to achieve the ultimate goals of a web content strategy, the finer details need to be considered. Voice and tone strengthen brand image, while our processes build solid brand identity. Keep language clear and concise and you?ll find that users and search engines reward you for it. Wear a White Hat. Structure content correctly and wrap it in metadata and you?ll pave the way for a richer user experience. Find a way for your users to share their stories with you, and you?ve successfully reinforced a solid online content strategy foundation.

?

This is a guest post by Andre Van Kets. Andre Van Kets is passionate about travel, technology, SEO, content creation, user experience and all kinds of problem solving. He is co-founder of Discover Africa Group and constantly strives to apply best practices of these digital disciplines into the company?s flagship car rental website www.drivesouthafrica.co.za. Contact @andrevankets on Twitter or +Andre Van Kets on Google+.

Source: http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2012/11/28/content-strategy

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Skullcandy launches $130 PLYR2 headset for wire-hating gamers

Skullcandy is making sure gamers have yet another item to put on the holiday wishlist with the official debut of the PLYR2, which is not only the company's latest gaming headset but also its first effort at a wireless model. It boasts 2.4GHz wireless audio, Skullcandy's "Supreme Sound" technology, a GMX stereo transmitter for balancing game and voice audio, three different EQ sound modes and an adjustable boom mic that can be flipped up to mute. The PLYR2 is available in black, white and teal for $129.99 and follows the earlier release of a budget-friendly $79.99 SLYR wired headset, while a fancier Dolby Surround Sound-equipped PLYR1 is set to debut in early 2013. Now you can shout expletives in style as you get pwned in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 -- just what you needed, right?

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Bulk Investors And The Real-Estate &#39;Recovery&#39; | ZeroHedge

Via Pater Tenebrarum of Acting-Man blog,

Bulk (Wall Street) buyers have been receiving a lot of attention recently. It's time to take a closer look.

There is little data available pertaining to bulk investors and even less meaningful analysis. Historically, Wall Street has never been active in direct ownership of single family homes, so there is no past histrory to learn from. We need to start from scratch.

How big are these bulk buyers? A few months ago, I read a report that Keefe, Bruyette & Woods estimated Wall Street had raised $6 billion to $8 billion so far, which is really a paltry sum in the world of high finance. It is impossible to estimate how much small investors are adding to this investment pool. We also have no clue how much this pool may grow over time, or whether it will? soon be exhausted and shrink instead.

Investors typically buy lower end properties. Say at an average of $100,000 per unit, the $6 billion to $8 billion raised so far would not even amount to 100,000 homes.

On the national level, and using the most recent releases, Existing Homes Sales and New Homes Sales combined are coming in at a pace of just over 5 million for 2012. The median price is $178,000 for existing homes and $242,000 for new homes. 100,000 homes would not even show up on the radar.

As for foreclosures, there are 5.6 million total non current loans in various stages of default. The current estimate for under water mortgages still exceeds 10 million, or about 20% of all mortgages. The Wall Street bulk investors are unlikely to put a dent in the distress property arena for the foreseeable future. In comparison, when the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) was dissolved back in 1992 due to the sunset clause, investors cleaned the entire inventory of REOs and loans off the books with just a few auctions.

On the localized level, it is a slightly different story. I am going to use three Western metro areas as examples. Phoenix, Southern California and Las Vegas were hotbeds of the subprime bubble and are once again the most sought after areas, this time by bulk investors. Using September data from DQNews, investors purchased 38.6%, 27.3% and 48.5% of all sales respectively. The actual number of absentee buyers for the four areas totaled 9,885 for the month of September. I expect this number will grow for the current months and into the near future, as investors eagerly place their funds. There is no data that separates absentee buyers into specific classes, such as Wall Street funds, local syndicates or small investors. However, if the bulk buyers are actively accumulating in these select markets, it is safe to assume that they do have some influence. The question is for how long.

Of the aforementioned metro areas, Las Vegas is the most out of whack. There were 4,570 sales in October.? 50.2% were sold to absentee owners, 52.5% in cash (43.2% were short sales, 16.7% were REOs) and 36.1% FHA financed. I have never seen a market where over half of the buyers paid cash and over 1/3 of the sales were financed via the FHA, leaving only 14% of sales in the "other" category.

In just the months of September and October, Las Vegas sold 4,278 single family units to absentee owners.? Assuming a majority of them will show up as rentals soon, if they haven't already, how much more can the market absorb? If this trend continues, how many months will it take to swamp the desert with single family rentals?

Even more out of whack is the "it's cheaper to buy than rent" theory. I am not disputing the math but rather the conclusions.? Just the fact that it is cheaper to buy does not mean that renters should buy. Maybe housing is simply unaffordable and rents are way too high.? As the supply of rentals continues to increase, natural economic forces should be driving down rent and home prices. Furthermore, if renters are buying because it is cheaper than renting, won't there be even more pressure from this supply of rentals? Where are the additional 2,000 renters going to come from each month?

Finally, it is mind boggling that they are still building in this market. Here are some of the new homes for sale.? Just this website shows 100 communities on the market.

As an investor, why would I touch the Las Vegas market? Check out the popular websites such as craigslist or rentals.com. There are countless houses, condos and apartments for rent, all chasing after this phantom demand.? Cash investors have to ability to lower rents to the level that the market will bear, but can current investors compete? With so many renters, are neighborhoods going to deteriorate, driving even more under water mortgages into foreclosure?

I took a number of these rentals in Las Vegas and did a quick analysis on their return. It is impossible to come up with a reliable vacancy allowance. It is entirely possible for a bulk investor today to be sitting on a bulk of vacant houses tomorrow. While the option exists to lower rents, that can cause a chain reaction which may result in more foreclosures, more distress properties and a new round of depreciation in value.

Phoenix was probably the first region to experience an investor driven rebound. The most recent data from DQNews for September are already showing a sequential as well as a year over year decline. I am eagerly waiting to see what the October statistics will look like. Is that recovery already running out of steam?? The median price has been appreciating to $155,000 but it is still 41.3% below the all time peak of $264,100 in 2006. I am not suggesting that the subprime peak was reasonable, just that there is still a boatload of homeowners who have little or no equity in their homes.

Here in Southern California, the herd mentality is in full control with buying increasing at all levels. How long will this feeding frenzy last? Will the bulk investors be able to generate enough returns to whet their appetite for more? Will the local investors continue to ride on the coattails of the Wall Street moguls? Will owner occupiers continue to overpay for new homes because the 1%ers are paying cash and squeezing them out of the non-FHA market?

Stay tuned.

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Source: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-11-27/bulk-investors-and-real-estate-recovery

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The Particular Firing Of &#39;Supreme HAFT I&#39; Communication Satellite ...

Nov 26 2012

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NASA, Russia Choose Astronaut, Cosmonaut for Year Long Space Mission

According to RIANovosti, the Russian Space Agency and NASA have chosen a Russian cosmonaut and an American astronaut respectively to embark on a year-long mission on board the International Space Station in 2015.

Year-long ISS mission to simulate Mars mission

According to an October, 2012 story in SpaceRef, Russia, the United States, and the other partners on the International Space Station had come to an agreement to fly a Russian cosmonaut and an American astronaut on the ISS for a year. The purpose was to gather medical information about the long term effects of microgravity "--on bone density, muscle mass, strength, vision and other aspects of human physiology." The research would help scientists develop countermeasures for those effects when space explorers take months-long voyages into deep space, to Earth approaching asteroids and eventually to Mars.

Two veteran space explorers chosen

The RIANovosti story reports that two veteran space explorers were chosen for the year-long stay on the ISS. They are Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko and NASA astronaut Scott Kelly.

Scott Kelly a NASA veteran space traveler

According to his official NASA biography, Scott Kelly was a naval aviator and military test pilot with a Masters degree in aviation systems and experience in flying both the F 18 and the F 14. He first flew in space as the pilot of STS-103, a Hubble Space Telescope refurbishing mission, in December, 1999. He was the commander of STS-118, which flew to the International Space Station in August, 2007, which added a truss segment and other parts to the orbiting laboratory. Finally, Kelly was commander of the ISS as part of Expedition 25 between November, 2010 and March, 2011. Kelly's twin brother is recently retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, the husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was obliged to retire from Congress after being shot by a deranged gun man.

Mikhail Korniyenko an experienced Russian cosmonaut

Korniyenko, a veteran of the Soviet Army, is a graduate of the Moscow Aviation Institute, according to his biography published by Energia. He was selected as a cosmonaut candidate in 1998 and passed training to become a full cosmonaut in 1999. He served in the backup crews for two expeditions to the ISS. The RIANovosti story notes that he flew for 178 days on board the International Space Station in 2010.

Record for longest space flight held by Valery Polyakov

The RIANovosti story mentions that the record for the longest consecutive space flight is held by Valery Polyakov, a Russian cosmonaut who stayed on board the Russian space station Mir for over 437 days in the late 1990s.

Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker. He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times, and The Weekly Standard.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-russia-choose-astronaut-cosmonaut-long-space-mission-212300931.html

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Small business Saturday: Obama buys books

Small business Saturday ? an effort to draw shoppers to small businesses ? attracted a prominent shopper Saturday. President Obama patronized a bookstore in Arlington, Va.

By Matthew Daly,?Associated Press / November 24, 2012

President Obama, with daughters Sasha, left, and Malia, right, goes shopping at a small bookstore, One More Page, in Arlington, Va., Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. The trip was an effort to promote 'small business Saturday.'

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

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President Barack Obama made a quick trip to a Virginia bookstore for some Christmas shopping.

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The president took his daughters, Sasha and Malia, to One More Page Books in Arlington, Virginia, on Saturday afternoon.

The White House says Obama was promoting an effort called "small?business?Saturday" to encourage shoppers to patronize mom-and-pop?businesses?after the Thanksgiving holiday.

At the store, Obama held up his BlackBerry, apparently looking up a book title as he spoke with shop owner Eileen McGervey. He said "preparation" was the key to his shopping.

Obama brushed off a reporter's question about the looming "fiscal cliff," saying "we're doing Christmas shopping."

The White House says Obama bought 15 children's books that will be given as Christmas gifts to family members.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/-3gWxpHra_w/Small-business-Saturday-Obama-buys-books

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[PARIS] La Compagnie de Bretagne | Sugared & Spiced

Like my?FACEBOOK PAGE?or follow me on?TWITTER?/???!

La Compagnie de Bretagne

Add:?9 rue de l?Ecole de M?dicine, 75006 Paris
Tel:?01 43 29 39 00
Hours: 12pm~11pm (Sunday brunch 11am~3pm)
Website:?www.compagnie-de-bretagne.com
Price: [brunch]??34~45 [a la carte] ?20~30
Visited on: Nov 2012

When meeting a friend at La Compagnie de Bretagne, a chic (and huge) cr?perie in Saint-Germain-des-Pres,?all I wanted was a simple combo of galette and apple cider. Little did I know that on Sundays from 11am to 3pm, this place?only offers?an abundant???34 weekend brunch?consisting of a hot and a cold drink,?an appetizer buffet, a viennoiserie/dessert buffet, a made-to-order hot dish, and a made-to-order dessert cr?pe. A total overkill for me!

Appetizer buffet: cold cuts, smoked salmon, cauliflower salad, cheeses, scrambled eggs, sausages?

Oh, and oysters!

The viennoiserie/dessert buffet: croissants, pain au chocolat, danish, flan?not particularly enticing.

Choices of hot drinks include coffee, tea, and spiced hot chocolate chocolate, while cold drinks are a selection of packaged juices (no freshly squeezed, sad).

One of our choices for the main course was?galette du jour, which happened to be a galette of blue cheese, pear, and walnuts. Not bad, but the amount of ingredients seemed a little inadequate when compared to the plates at Breizh Cafe.

Our other choice of ?main course was?kig ha farz, a traditional Breton dish?consisting of meats (e.g. pork knuckles and beef) simmered in a?broth?with vegetables (e.g. carrots and cabbage) and a?buckwheat?flour based?pudding. Similar to?pot-au-feu, this is a lovely comfort dish for the winter.

Dessert crepe: caramel with salted butter. It?s as simple as it looks.

Bright space, friendly service, adequate food. Won?t come back for brunch again, but when in the mood for crepes and too lazy to travel to Le Marais for Breizh Cafe, I?d perhaps come for the a la carte menu. I heard they have a lobster crepe that is quite amazing?

Source: http://www.sugarednspiced.com/paris-la-compagnie-de-bretagne/

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Alternative Therapy and Back Pain | Natural Holistic Health Blog

Have you been having pain in your back and having no luck with treatments at the doctor? You are not the only one. The number one reason why people end up on disability is because of their backs.

In America, we shell out a mind blowing fifty billion dollars a year on it. Eighty percent of us has, or will, have trouble with our backs at some point in our lives. The most alarming part of the whole thing is that, in most cases, there will never be a cause found.

Because it is so hard to find a cause or a cure many people are starting to receive alternative therapy for their problem. Things that are being done include tai chi, yoga, acupuncture and massage. To put this into perspective, consider this: 14 percent of people who visit an acupuncturist and 20 percent who receive a massage are going because of back problems.

The question is are these treatments working?

We are still trying to find out whether the alternative therapies are working, or not. There are positive results toward massage and spinal manipulation but not enough evidence to show whether or not acupuncture is a good choice.

Massage has been shown to help the sufferer function better and also to help get rid of the pain. Spinal manipulation has been found to get about the same results as conventional medicine. The conventional medicine treatments include OTC (Over The Counter) pain killers and several different types of physical therapy.

What are some additional ways to help relieve back pain?

Mild symptoms of backache may be relieved by applying a heating pad or hot water bottle to the affected area. Over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen or paracetamol can help to reduce swelling and ease pain. More severe symptoms of backache may be treated with analgesics, NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, trigger point and ligament injections.

Physical therapy that involves TENS (trans-electrical nerve stimulation), behavioral therapy, back exercises, spinal manipulation and EMG feedback is also beneficial. Your doctor may also refer you to a chiropractor for spinal manipulation. Other treatment options that are effective when used together with medication include acupuncture, massage, hydrotherapy, biofeedback, meditation and yoga.

Natural and holistic medicine has been used for thousands of years to treat the pain and discomfort of backache. Treatments such as herbal and homeopathic remedies are safe and gentle to use without the unwanted side effects of prescription medicine. These herbs do not only provide symptomatic relief but are also effective for your overall health and wellbeing.

Herbal ingredients such as Harpagophytum procumbens (Devil?s Claw) boasts powerful properties that help to maintain back health while Glucosamine sulphate is excellent for joints and cartilages. In addition, Boswellia serata promotes joint and muscle comfort and mobility.

There are several useful tips to avoid backache and these include:

• Improve your posture
• Regular back and abdominal exercises can keep your back in excellent physical condition
• Ensure that your mattress provides firm support
• Sleep on your side (in an ?S? shape) or place pillows between your knees to provide comfort to your back
• If you lift heavy objects, bend at the hips and knees, and keep your back straight
• Wear flat shoes with a good arch support if you stand for long periods of time
• Take regular breaks and move around rather than sit or stand in one position for several hours
• Sit on an ergonomic chair when working on a computer or make sure that your chair supports the small of your back
• Reduce the weight of your handbag, as a heavy load creates stress on your spine
• Avoid wearing high heeled shoes, as they can lead to back pain

The most important thing you can do, on your own time, is to try and increase the strength in your back. Many studies have shown that when someone is experiencing chronic back pain the muscles that surround the spine are inhibited and the most sensible treatment is a program aimed at strengthening these muscles.

This should be done on equipment that has been calibrated. The goal is to start out light and slowly increase the tension, while keeping track of your performance and progress. The type of environment that you should seek out is a physical therapy gym, or something similar.

JointEase Plus is a natural herbal formula for arthritis and joint-related problems. Provides relief from painful joint conditions, lower back ache; any form of arthritis, fibrositis, myalgia or rheumatism; degenerative musculo-skeletal conditions. JointEase, which is formulated by a Clinical Psychologist, is a natural alternative to prescription anti-inflammatory drugs and manufactured to the highest pharmaceutical standards.

If you choose to use alternative treatments then you should notify your doctor about this. It is always better to have your health practitioners working together than to leave one of them in the dark. Each of them might still have some knowledge that can help you get back on your feet.

Free PDF Health Ebook...

Natural Help for Hysteria

? ? Simply right click the ebook title above, and choose Save As to save to your desktop!? You can find more FREE Natural Health, Wellness and Pet Ebooks at Remedies4.com!

---

About Dee Braun

Dee is an Adv. Certified Aromatherapist, Reiki Master, Adv. Color/Crystal Therapist, Herbalist, Dr. of Reflexology and single mom who is dedicated to helping others any way she can. One way she chooses to help is by offering information on the benefits and uses of natural health and healing methods for the well-being of both people and pets. Dee also teaches Aromatherapy, Reflexology and Color/Crystal Therapy at the Alternative Healing Academy

Source: http://www.natural-holistic-health.com/alternative-therapy-back-pain/

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Linda asks?If two independent experiments failed to replicate the Abiogenesis Theory does it falsify the Theory?In natural science, abiogenesis or biopoesis is the study of how biological life arises from inorganic matter. (Not ignorance matters, That?s an atheist fundie term)

The two independently conducted experiments one by an agnostic and the other by an atheist team both failed miserably.

The agnostic bashed two rocks together in pond scum and failed to make life or dinosaurs.

While

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Bill Maher: Won Direction

Cross-posted on HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher site.

New Rule: Now that he's been reelected, President Obama must get back at all those right wing hacks who tried to paint him as an angry black man pushing a liberal agenda by becoming an angry black man who's pushing a liberal agenda.

Now, I have been mostly holding my tongue about the president this past season, because I didn't want to muddy the waters in a country where you only get two choices, but Mr. President, there are two ways to look at your 51 to 48 percent victory: One is, we love you. The other is, we like you three percent better than Mitt Romney. And by the way, let us never speak that name again... Mitt... let it be a dark and buried memory of a close call with a creature equal parts pure evil and excellent posture, like getting dry humped in a crowded subway by Roger Moore.

I like this president. In all those secret strategy meetings we had, with me and him and George Soros and The New Black Panthers, I found him to be very agreeable, Allah be praised. But it's now the job of progressives to hold his feet to the fire for causes important to us. If not now, when?

There's no third term, Mr. President, so you may as well throw caution to the wind, 'cause it's not like we're using it to produce energy. Yes, clean energy, that's just one of many issues, like civil liberties, the drug war, the drone war, the war war, gun control -- that have been on my mind these last four years, and let's just say I've been waiting to exhale. And by that I mean, I've been holding my nose.

But you're free now -- with no more elections to win, you are free to never again have to kiss the ass of coal miners and say the words "clean coal." There is no such thing as "clean coal." It's like saying "Internet Privacy" or "Tea Party Intellectual." Or "Fox News Journalist."

Another priority should be cutting the defense budget -- we're the home of the brave, let's prove it by getting by with one less submarine. Yes, we were involved in a struggle against a radical enemy bent on our destruction -- but the election is over, and we need to recognize that America has the same problem with the defense budget that Mrs. Petraeus has with her husband's penis: it's swollen, and we can't bring ourselves to touch it.

And as far as Afghanistan goes, I know you said we're leaving in 2014, but look at it this way: enemies are always on guard for a surprise attack, but they'd never suspect a surprise retreat. Really. We can leave right away. Because we've figured out something the Afghans haven't: air travel.

And as long as we're ending wars, how about the War on Drugs? Two states, Colorado and Washington, have actually legalized pot now, which gives you as president the rare opportunity to improve the world by doing... absolutely nothing. Just tell Eric Holder to stay the hell out of Boulder, and if the conservatives bitch about it, throw states' rights back in their face -- isn't that their big theme, send it back to the states, the will of the people? Well, this is the people who, in those two states on election day, got up off the couch and drove their 1987 Toyota Tercel with the "Visualize World Peace" sticker on the back to the polls, and voted to stop the drug war. And then drove home and got back on the couch.

And finally, instead of rewriting Social Security, how about rewriting the Patriot Act? How about another look at rendition, and warrantless searches and wire taps? And how about stop listening in on our phone calls and reading our e-mails. I'm not a teenager and you're not my mom, ok? And besides, there's a better way to confirm your suspicions that I'm smoking weed and hanging around the wrong people: just watch my show.

Real Time With Bill Maher returns with new shows on Friday, January 18th on HBO.

?

Follow Bill Maher on Twitter: www.twitter.com/billmaher

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-maher/won-direction_b_2174227.html

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Is being a lesbian equal to being a homosexual? | IslamicAnswers ...

Homosexuality is Haraam in Islam

Hi I am new to this site I do research about?Islamic topics specially about relationships.

I have come across a topic called?lesbianism. I wanna know about Islamic views, is this same as homosexuality?

Because?its punishment differs from homosexuality and please highlight some points about homosexuality

- mystyle

Tagged as: Allah's Justice, homosexual, Islamic laws, lesbian, punishment, sexuality

Source: http://www.zawaj.com/askbilqis/lesbian-and-homosexual/

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Hands On With Nokia?s Here Maps For iOS: Good Stop-Gap Until Native Google Maps [Video]

We told you about Nokia Here's iOS launch this morning, something Nokia CEO Stephen Elop promised us last week, but now we've had the chance to actually put it through its paces. Here's a short demo video of Nokia Here doing its thing, including video of how the different map views work, place detail information and the much appreciated transit directions.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/zoZ9hR_L7bI/

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How to Get Your Boyfriend to Propose: Do&#39;s and Don&#39;ts | LovetoAttract

Don?t Be Desperate -?Have you been in a committed relationship for a long time, but you?re still not engaged? Do you find yourself wondering how to get your boyfriend to propose? It?s relatively safe to assume that quite a few of you ladies are getting pretty antsy waiting for your boyfriend to slide a pretty little ring on your left hand. If you?re wondering how to get your boyfriend to propose to you, the very first thing you must do is memorize the cardinal rule of engagements: don?t be too desperate. Becoming too clingy or too pushy is a sure-fire way to send him packing.?There are very few things that you could do that would send your man running for the door faster than pressuring him into marriage. It?s vital that you are not trying too hard.

Gradually bringing up the subject every now and then to gauge his reaction to the subject is one thing. In fact, it?s perfectly fine to entertain a little criticism of the notion of marriage. It should be talked about openly. Dropping engagement hints left and right, however, is a different evil entirely, and is sure to make him nervous. Beating the idea into him day in and day out will only serve to annoy your boyfriend. The fact of the matter is if he?s not ready for a marital commitment at the moment, he?s simply not ready.

Remind yourself that just because he doesn?t want to get married now, doesn?t mean he never wants to get married. Men are much more apt to hold tightly to their freedom. Perhaps your boyfriend wants to focus on his career right now, or has other interests he would like to pursue before settling down. Support him and his interests. He wants to feel like you are his best friend, his lover, and his confidant, so give him every reason to feel that way. If you want to get your boyfriend to propose, the best advice is to support his wishes and to be understanding.

Your Boyfriend May Not Be Proposing?Because?of ?Financial?Jitters

On the other hand, he could be worried about his financial situation. Should that be the case, assure him that you are equal partners in your relationship?that you won?t be breaking his bank account. You might even try cutting back on your spending. Now, you don?t have to sacrifice your happiness or well-being, but let him know that material things are not important to you; that it?s him you want. Making him feel like you?re financially secure and responsible will help put his mind at ease. Prepare a budget that helps map out the potential cost of sharing a life together that includes: rent or mortgage, groceries, and even emergency expenses.

Besides being too pushy or overbearing regarding the subject of marriage, the biggest mistake women make when trying to get their boyfriends to propose is getting pregnant on purpose. If you think that bringing a child into the world will make your boyfriend propose, think again. Having a baby is not the way to solve relationship problems. Actually, it may do exactly the opposite. Getting pregnant will mean adding another level of responsibility to a relationship that may already be straining. Your financial situation will change, your living situation may have to change, and in the end, there?s still no guarantee that he?ll propose. Furthermore, the strain of a newborn might just end up being the straw that breaks the camel?s back and leads to the end of the relationship.

Make Him Feel Safe

Finally, when a man feels safe, secure, and appreciated, he is much more likely to get comfortable and settle down. Exactly how to make him feel secure along with?the 3 other required steps to getting a man to propose is all in this free video presentation by world-famous relationship expert T-Dub Jackson. Watch this video and get him to propose!?

Source: http://www.lovetoattract.com/get-your-boyfriend-to-propose/

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