Thursday, November 22, 2012

Toyota recalls 160,000 Tacoma pickups in U.S. and Canada

(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp is recalling about 160,000 Tacoma mid-size pickup trucks from the model years 2001 to 2004 in cold-weather U.S. states and in Canada because the spare tire could fall off.

The spare tire in these Tacoma models is stored beneath the trucks' bed. When the trucks were made, the metal plate that keeps the spare tire in place was not coated with sufficient amounts of phosphate to retard rust, Toyota said.

Two accidents have been reported to Toyota involving vehicles following a Tacoma truck, but they did not result in injuries, a Toyota spokesman said.

Over time and in limited cases, corrosion of the plate could cause it to break, causing the detachment of the spare tire, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. said in a statement on Wednesday.

The recall covers 150,000 trucks originally sold in 20 cold-weather U.S. states and 10,000 trucks in Canada, Toyota said.

Letters will go to the owners of the recalled vehicles in December, Toyota said.

Toyota dealers will replace the spare tire assembly, if necessary, without charge to Tacoma owners.

(Reporting By Bernie Woodall; Editing by Bernard Orr and Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/toyota-recalls-160-000-tacoma-pickups-u-canada-231110798--finance.html

heidi klum and seal ohare airport etta james songs east west shrine game haywire underworld awakening dog the bounty hunter

Stay Engaged with your Target Market | Business 2 Community

Email marketing is the current hot trend, but how effective is it?

Cost

Email is free.? At least it is free to send a personal email from your private email address.

Email marketing, commonly reputed to be free, has a significant time factor cost.? If you choose to send and reply to emails personally, factor in the value of your time.? Marketing costs time or money or both.? The potential does exist for immediate response.

Add the special software to automate your email marketing and take the time to learn the system or hire an electronic marketing firm to initiate the campaign for you and the cost factor changes.? Researchers estimate that United States firms alone spent US $1.51 billion on email marketing in 2011 and will grow to $2.468 billion by 2016.[1]

Types of Email

Transactional emails convey information.? A receipt for a purchase, welcome email for opting in to a website, ?you have notifications pending on Facebook,? or password resets are all transactional.? ?Due to its high open rates (51.3% compared to 36.6% for email newsletters[2]), transactional emails are a golden opportunity to engage customers; to introduce or extend the email relationship with customers or subscribers, to anticipate and answer questions or to cross-sell or up-sell products or services.?

Marketing emails flood our inboxes with such overwhelming mass that the risk exists that they will be caught in a firewall, spam filter or be the victim of the rapid-response delete button click. ?Major servers report a 56% delivery on marketing emails with 20% of those rejected and 8% filtered.? It is noted that delivery between 1 am and 5 am outperforms any other electronic delivery time for open rate and click through to web site rate.

Personal email receives the highest ranking with over half the American Internet users checking email every day.

Challenges with email marketing

Email marketing is permission marketing. Bore a recipient or provide non-relevant content and they can opt out.? Failure to provide an ?unsubscribe? (opt out) to an email recipient and you can find yourself blacklisted as a spammer, blocked from any future communication, and perhaps even reported in unsavory terms in social media.

Are your emails readable? ?Emails are highly likely to be viewed on a mobile device. Your carefully crafted multimedia content or images are not going to be readable by most people. According to Survey Sampling (2007), about 65% of decision makers are viewing your marketing email on their text-only mobile devices.? Send in plain text because HTML (hypertext markup language) may not display correctly, if at all, and images may not show at all.

Trustworthy source.? Be certain your sender name is visible and trustworthy; robot mailing triggers the delete button.

The subject line and opening few words influence the decision to open or send to the trash. Words like ?free,? ?money,? or all caps in the subject line or body of the message send the email straight to spam without ever entering the gaze of the recipient.

Limits on emails sent. GoDaddy.com limits you to 1,000 emails per day while other providers limit to 5 to 10 emails a minute.? Violators may have their account suspended.

Links break.? Broken links frustrate recipients.? Just as various browsers display the format differently, they may or may not display images or connect links.

Use less text with email.? Be brief and relevant.? People read 25% slower on screen.? Nielsen recommends using 50% less text.

Comparison of Email Marketing to Direct Mail Marketing

Email is permission marketing which seriously limits the flow through of the message to the potential market.? Direct mail has a 100% delivery rate.

The United States Postal Service offers a direct mail service ?Every Door Direct Mail? USPS Every Door Direct Mail that provides resources for businesses to target, design, print and mail to specific households without needing to know the addresses.

Direct mail is readable.? The print, text, images and format are always consistently readable.? Select a top quality printer and direct mailer like PrintPlace.com and your prospect will always receive professionally printed brochures, postcards or marketing materials you are proud to associate with your name.

One of the relevant advantages of direct mail is that its trustworthiness is never in question.? Your brand is proudly represented on every piece you mail out. The tangible characteristic of printed media adds considerable credibility to your direct mail pieces.

Personalized subject line is always effective in direct mail where authorities disagree whether it increases the open rate in email marketing.? Google changes algorithms at least every 4 ? 6 weeks; internet effectiveness changes day to day, where printed marketing is consistent.

Regardless of the media, the subject line should be concise, catchy and relevant.

Statistics show out of 100,000 emails sent, by the time they filtered through delivery rate, open rate, click-through to landing page, response to enter contact information was 114.? Sales were 26 ? .026 percent (.00026). This low rate reinforces the value of working hard to maximize opens, clicks and landing page response.? With email marketing there are numerous stumbling blocks on the path to success.? Miss one and you?re OUT.

Compare to direct mail response rate of 2.66 % (.0266). It is 100 times better with direct mail.

With printed brochures, catalogs and direct mail, there are no limits, no link breaks and no text limitation factors.? High quality, excellent deliverability and superior response rate confirm that printed marketing materials are still extremely effective in an electronic era.

Source: http://www.business2community.com/strategy/stay-engaged-with-your-target-market-0337307

stanford stanford oklahoma state university badgers badgers nbc sports network mendenhall

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Ask the Veterinarian: 3 Thanksgiving pet safety tips ? SPCA Florida

WP_Query Object (     [query_vars] => Array         (             [page] => 0             [name] => thanksgiving-pet-safety             [category_name] => blog             [error] =>              [m] => 0             [p] => 0             [post_parent] =>              [subpost] =>              [subpost_id] =>              [attachment] =>              [attachment_id] => 0             [static] =>              [pagename] =>              [page_id] => 0             [second] =>              [minute] =>              [hour] =>              [day] => 0             [monthnum] => 0             [year] => 0             [w] => 0             [tag] =>              [cat] =>              [tag_id] =>              [author_name] =>              [feed] =>              [tb] =>              [paged] => 0             [comments_popup] =>              [meta_key] =>              [meta_value] =>              [preview] =>              [s] =>              [sentence] =>              [fields] =>              [category__in] => Array                 (                 )              [category__not_in] => Array                 (                 )              [category__and] => Array                 (                 )              [post__in] => Array                 (                 )              [post__not_in] => Array                 (                 )              [tag__in] => Array                 (                 )              [tag__not_in] => Array                 (                 )              [tag__and] => Array                 (                 )              [tag_slug__in] => Array                 (                 )              [tag_slug__and] => Array                 (                 )              [ignore_sticky_posts] =>              [suppress_filters] =>              [cache_results] => 1             [update_post_term_cache] => 1             [update_post_meta_cache] => 1             [post_type] =>              [posts_per_page] => 5             [nopaging] =>              [comments_per_page] => 50             [no_found_rows] =>              [order] => DESC         )      [tax_query] =>      [meta_query] => WP_Meta_Query Object         (             [queries] => Array                 (                 )              [relation] =>          )      [post_count] => 1     [current_post] => 0     [in_the_loop] => 1     [comment_count] => 0     [current_comment] => -1     [found_posts] => 0     [max_num_pages] => 0     [max_num_comment_pages] => 0     [is_single] => 1     [is_preview] =>      [is_page] =>      [is_archive] =>      [is_date] =>      [is_year] =>      [is_month] =>      [is_day] =>      [is_time] =>      [is_author] =>      [is_category] =>      [is_tag] =>      [is_tax] =>      [is_search] =>      [is_feed] =>      [is_comment_feed] =>      [is_trackback] =>      [is_home] =>      [is_404] =>      [is_comments_popup] =>      [is_paged] =>      [is_admin] =>      [is_attachment] =>      [is_singular] => 1     [is_robots] =>      [is_posts_page] =>      [is_post_type_archive] =>      [query_vars_hash] => 1fb8845614d97c90dc96137557e12f9e     [query_vars_changed] =>      [thumbnails_cached] =>      [query] => Array         (             [page] =>              [name] => thanksgiving-pet-safety             [category_name] => blog         )      [request] => SELECT   wp_posts.* FROM wp_posts  WHERE 1=1  AND wp_posts.post_name = 'thanksgiving-pet-safety' AND wp_posts.post_type = 'post'  ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC      [posts] => Array         (             [0] => stdClass Object                 (                     [ID] => 3821                     [post_author] => 3                     [post_date] => 2012-11-20 16:26:24                     [post_date_gmt] => 2012-11-20 21:26:24                     [post_content] => Thanksgiving offers many temping and dangerous treats for pets. SPCA Florida Veterinarian Dr. Rachel Bouton shares tips to avoid an emergency animal hospital visit:
 

1. Breakfast - A lot of holiday sweet breads and rolls contain raisins and grapes, which are toxic to dogs. "Even just a few can result in acute kidney failure," said Dr. Bouton.

She recommends immediate veterinary attention if pets ingest raisins and exhibit?anuria, or lack of urine production.

2.?Dinner - "Bones pose a choking risk and splinters could obstruct or lacerate the digestive tract," said Dr. Bouton.?Fat trimmings may seem like a nice treat poured over dry food, but can cause upset stomach and pancreatitis.

She encourages pet parents to keep "tasty" tin foil away from?dogs and cats. While it can be enticing to lick, if ingested tin foil does not show up on X-rays and can harm the digestive tract.

Enjoying a glass of wine with your meal??Alcohol is off limits for dogs and cats because intoxicated animals can suffer from vomiting, seizures, coma and even death.

3. Dessert - Many holiday cookies and desserts contain nuts, which can upset animals? stomachs. Keep your dogs and cats away from almonds, pistachios and macadamia nuts.

Chocolate is off limits for cats and dogs as it can?lead to vomiting, heart arrhythmias, tremors and seizures.?The darker and richer, the more toxic.

Regardless of the table scraps and leftovers, Dr. Bouton strongly advises guardians to maintain their dogs' and cats' regular diet and to caution visitors against slipping?animals?special Thanksgiving "treats". SPCA Florida McClurg Animal Medical Center will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and re-open Friday, November 23 at 8 a.m. If your pet experiences a veterinary emergency Thanksgiving day please contact?Parkway Veterinary?Emergency?Clinic,?(863) 665-3199, located at?3609 U.S. 98 in Lakeland. [post_title] => Ask the Veterinarian: 3 Thanksgiving pet safety tips [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => thanksgiving-pet-safety [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2012-11-20 22:17:01 [post_modified_gmt] => 2012-11-21 03:17:01 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://www.spcaflorida.org/?p=3821 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [ancestors] => Array ( ) [filter] => raw ) ) [post] => stdClass Object ( [ID] => 3821 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2012-11-20 16:26:24 [post_date_gmt] => 2012-11-20 21:26:24 [post_content] => Thanksgiving offers many temping and dangerous treats for pets. SPCA Florida Veterinarian Dr. Rachel Bouton shares tips to avoid an emergency animal hospital visit:

1. Breakfast - A lot of holiday sweet breads and rolls contain raisins and grapes, which are toxic to dogs. "Even just a few can result in acute kidney failure," said Dr. Bouton.

She recommends immediate veterinary attention if pets ingest raisins and exhibit?anuria, or lack of urine production.

2.?Dinner - "Bones pose a choking risk and splinters could obstruct or lacerate the digestive tract," said Dr. Bouton.?Fat trimmings may seem like a nice treat poured over dry food, but can cause upset stomach and pancreatitis.

She encourages pet parents to keep "tasty" tin foil away from?dogs and cats. While it can be enticing to lick, if ingested tin foil does not show up on X-rays and can harm the digestive tract.

Enjoying a glass of wine with your meal??Alcohol is off limits for dogs and cats because intoxicated animals can suffer from vomiting, seizures, coma and even death.

3. Dessert - Many holiday cookies and desserts contain nuts, which can upset animals? stomachs. Keep your dogs and cats away from almonds, pistachios and macadamia nuts.

Chocolate is off limits for cats and dogs as it can?lead to vomiting, heart arrhythmias, tremors and seizures.?The darker and richer, the more toxic.

Regardless of the table scraps and leftovers, Dr. Bouton strongly advises guardians to maintain their dogs' and cats' regular diet and to caution visitors against slipping?animals?special Thanksgiving "treats". SPCA Florida McClurg Animal Medical Center will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and re-open Friday, November 23 at 8 a.m. If your pet experiences a veterinary emergency Thanksgiving day please contact?Parkway Veterinary?Emergency?Clinic,?(863) 665-3199, located at?3609 U.S. 98 in Lakeland. [post_title] => Ask the Veterinarian: 3 Thanksgiving pet safety tips [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => thanksgiving-pet-safety [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2012-11-20 22:17:01 [post_modified_gmt] => 2012-11-21 03:17:01 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://www.spcaflorida.org/?p=3821 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [ancestors] => Array ( ) [filter] => raw ) [queried_object] => stdClass Object ( [ID] => 3821 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2012-11-20 16:26:24 [post_date_gmt] => 2012-11-20 21:26:24 [post_content] => Thanksgiving offers many temping and dangerous treats for pets. SPCA Florida Veterinarian Dr. Rachel Bouton shares tips to avoid an emergency animal hospital visit:

1. Breakfast - A lot of holiday sweet breads and rolls contain raisins and grapes, which are toxic to dogs. "Even just a few can result in acute kidney failure," said Dr. Bouton.

She recommends immediate veterinary attention if pets ingest raisins and exhibit?anuria, or lack of urine production.

2.?Dinner - "Bones pose a choking risk and splinters could obstruct or lacerate the digestive tract," said Dr. Bouton.?Fat trimmings may seem like a nice treat poured over dry food, but can cause upset stomach and pancreatitis.

She encourages pet parents to keep "tasty" tin foil away from?dogs and cats. While it can be enticing to lick, if ingested tin foil does not show up on X-rays and can harm the digestive tract.

Enjoying a glass of wine with your meal??Alcohol is off limits for dogs and cats because intoxicated animals can suffer from vomiting, seizures, coma and even death.

3. Dessert - Many holiday cookies and desserts contain nuts, which can upset animals? stomachs. Keep your dogs and cats away from almonds, pistachios and macadamia nuts.

Chocolate is off limits for cats and dogs as it can?lead to vomiting, heart arrhythmias, tremors and seizures.?The darker and richer, the more toxic.

Regardless of the table scraps and leftovers, Dr. Bouton strongly advises guardians to maintain their dogs' and cats' regular diet and to caution visitors against slipping?animals?special Thanksgiving "treats". SPCA Florida McClurg Animal Medical Center will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and re-open Friday, November 23 at 8 a.m. If your pet experiences a veterinary emergency Thanksgiving day please contact?Parkway Veterinary?Emergency?Clinic,?(863) 665-3199, located at?3609 U.S. 98 in Lakeland. [post_title] => Ask the Veterinarian: 3 Thanksgiving pet safety tips [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => thanksgiving-pet-safety [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2012-11-20 22:17:01 [post_modified_gmt] => 2012-11-21 03:17:01 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://www.spcaflorida.org/?p=3821 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [ancestors] => Array ( ) [filter] => raw ) [queried_object_id] => 3821 )

Tuesday, November 20, 2012 ? Blog, Canine, Children, Feline, McClurg Animal Medical Center, Pet Health, Pet Safety, Pet Tips, Veterinary Medicine, Ways to Help

Thanksgiving offers many temping and dangerous treats for pets. SPCA Florida Veterinarian Dr. Rachel Bouton shares tips to avoid an emergency animal hospital visit:

1. Breakfast ? A lot of holiday sweet breads and rolls contain raisins and grapes, which are toxic to dogs. ?Even just a few can result in acute kidney failure,? said Dr. Bouton.

She recommends immediate veterinary attention if pets ingest raisins and exhibit?anuria, or lack of urine production.

2.?Dinner ? ?Bones pose a choking risk and splinters could obstruct or lacerate the digestive tract,? said Dr. Bouton.?Fat trimmings may seem like a nice treat poured over dry food, but can cause upset stomach and pancreatitis.

She encourages pet parents to keep ?tasty? tin foil away from?dogs and cats. While it can be enticing to lick, if ingested tin foil does not show up on X-rays and can harm the digestive tract.

Enjoying a glass of wine with your meal??Alcohol is off limits for dogs and cats because intoxicated animals can suffer from vomiting, seizures, coma and even death.

3. Dessert ? Many holiday cookies and desserts contain nuts, which can upset animals? stomachs. Keep your dogs and cats away from almonds, pistachios and macadamia nuts.

Chocolate is off limits for cats and dogs as it can?lead to vomiting, heart arrhythmias, tremors and seizures.?The darker and richer, the more toxic.

Regardless of the table scraps and leftovers, Dr. Bouton strongly advises guardians to maintain their dogs? and cats? regular diet and to caution visitors against slipping?animals?special Thanksgiving ?treats?.

SPCA Florida McClurg Animal Medical Center will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and re-open Friday, November 23 at 8 a.m. If your pet experiences a veterinary emergency Thanksgiving day please contact?Parkway Veterinary?Emergency?Clinic,?(863) 665-3199, located at?3609 U.S. 98 in Lakeland.

Source: http://www.spcaflorida.org/blog/thanksgiving-pet-safety/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=thanksgiving-pet-safety

justified season 3 custer scott walker restaurant week type 2 diabetes occupy congress juan williams

Why wait for Black Friday? Deals you can get right now.

Terms like 'Black Friday' and 'Cyber Monday' are getting outmoded as retailers offer specials earlier than Thanksgiving. JoS. A. Bank, for one, has a sale that runs through Wednesday.

By Mark Trumbull,?Staff writer / November 20, 2012

Tony Avitar sits in his tent outside the Best Buy store in Cuyahoga Fall, Ohio, Monday. He set up the tent for Black Friday sales last Thursday to snag the early deals at the store. This is his ninth year camping out.

Scott Shaw/The Plain Dealer/AP

Enlarge

It's official: With Black Friday just around the corner, retailers are falling over themselves to attract your attention ? and to distract you from things like work, family, and football.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

The consumerist frenzy known as the holiday shopping season is already in full swing.

But for US shoppers, the bargain-hunt map is a bit fuzzy. Do the best opportunities lie in wait at stores this Friday, or online? More to the point, do the terms "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" mean much anymore?

Those labels, while they still carry some meaning, are no longer to be taken too literally. Yes, there'll be some very reduced price tags awaiting early-morning shoppers on Friday. And yes, lots of consumers will use their work computers for some personal shopping Monday, even as they're getting back to their day jobs.

But the blurring lines of these concepts is also more apparent than ever this year. Talk of "Black Thursday" and "Cyber Weekend" hints at the fading of sharp distinctions. Big-name stores like Wal-Mart are pushing to lure customers on Thanksgiving night, and many have sales running early in the week.

Often, the bargain you can find in a store will be matched online, with free shipping to boot.

Technology adds to the mix: Smart-phone apps allow consumers to quickly compare in-store and online prices.

?In-store sales at major retailers this week will be significantly influenced by mobile applications,? marketing expert Kenneth Wisnefski said in a statement released this week by the company he founded, WebiMax.

The mobile apps, by the way, include Amazon?s Price Check, which allows you to scan a bar code in a store and then view prices for the same product online, or to read online product reviews before buying.

Bottom line: By all means, go out and shop on Friday if you want, but don't neglect the opportunities that may be at your fingertips or in stores from now forward.

Some examples:

? Menswear purveyor JoS. A. Bank has a "3 days only!" sale that runs through Wednesday, with 60 percent off suits, sport coats, and outerwear, and "40 percent off everything else online."

? Similarly, electronics retailer Newegg has a "Pre-Black Friday Frenzy." The online store offers price matching, and it pledges that you'll be shopping "at prices that won't drop lower on Black Friday." How's that for an eager sales pitch?

? Sam's Club held a two-hour "Exclusive VIP Member Event" Sunday, for Business and Business Plus members, according to BFAds.net, a tracker of Black Friday deals.

? If you want a pair of black sunglasses (or another color) before Friday, the Oakley Vault has offered up to 65 percent off in its Pre-Black Friday Sale, according to the website Dealnews.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/wYH_Wck6fv4/Why-wait-for-Black-Friday-Deals-you-can-get-right-now

whitney houston funeral live stream kevin costner whitney houston whitney houston funeral live pat buchanan slither slither naacp

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

High Intensity Interval Training: A Big HIIT - University Recreation ...

If you are like me, spending an hour on the treadmill or elliptical can feel like a waste of time. Not only is it a huge time investment, but I rarely get the fat burning results I am looking for. I have a very stubborn body fat (and metabolism) and finding a cardio workout that is both effective and efficient has been a huge challenge. However, recently I discovered high intensity interval training (HIIT) which, according to experts? claims, burns more fat over a longer period of time.

For those of you who don?t know what HIIT is, it consists of a warm up, followed by six to twelve repetitions of high intensity exercise, alternating with a lower intensity period in between, and ending with a cool down. The idea is for the high intensity portion to be done full throttle while the lower intensity is done at about 50%. A normal HIIT session lasts about fifteen to twenty minutes. The target ratio you need to shoot for is a 2:1 ratio of work: rest. I personally started with 1(work):3(rest) and then moved to 1(work):2(rest) and will continue to progress with a 1(work):1(rest) then the 2(work):1(rest). Short and sweet, right?!? But does itreally burn the fat?

An East Tennessee State University (2001) study showed that following an 8-week HIIT program dropped 2 percent in body fat while those who followed a continuous steady-state treadmill program had no drop in body fat. Another study by Florida State University (2007), showed that subjects who performed HIIT burned almost 10 percent more calories during the 24 hours following exercise in comparison to continuous steady-state exercise, despite the fact that the total calories burned during the workouts were the same. (bodybuilding.com)

So, the science would seem to support the fat burning claims. But how does it work for obstinate body fat like mine? I find that I do burn more fat (according to the percent body fat on my scale anyway) doing HIIT three times a week than I have in the past doing long treadmill/elliptical workouts. Now, I know what works for me won?t necessarily work for everyone else but I do think it is an efficient alternative to longer steady-state workouts. What about you, have you tried HIIT? What were your results?

Here is a video by Dr. Jim Stoppani to give you more info http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuaKLtqL_D8

Photos courtesy of love3d.wordpress.com.

Source: http://urec.wsu.edu/urecnews/post/2012/11/19/High-Intensity-Interval-Training-A-Big-HIIT.aspx

robert griffin iii dontari poe space shuttle nyc monkeypox nick perry 30 rock live nfl draft picks 2012

Justin Bieber gets love at American Music Awards

Justin Bieber may be Canadian, but he was the all-American boy at Sunday night's American Music Awards.

The pop singer dominated the awards show, winning three trophies, including artist of the year. His mom joined him onstage as he collected the award, beating out Rihanna, Maroon 5, Katy Perry and Drake.

"I wanted to thank you for always believing in me," Bieber said, looking to his mom.

The 18-year-old also won the honor in 2010. He said it's "hard growing up with everyone watching me" and asked that people continue to believe in him.

But the teenager who brought his mom as a date also got in some grinding with Nicki Minaj ? who shared the stage with him and took home two awards ? and a kiss on the neck from presenter Jenny McCarthy.

"Wow. I feel violated right now," he said, laughing.

"I did grab his butt," McCarthy said backstage. "I couldn't help it. He was just so delicious. So little. I wanted to tear his head off and eat it."

Another collaboration was the night's most colorful performance: Korean rapper PSY and MC Hammer. Hammer joined the buzzed-about pop star for his viral hit "Gangnam Style." PSY rocked traditional "Hammer" pants as they danced to his jam and to Hammer's "Too Legit to Quit."

Minaj, who wore three different wigs and four outfits throughout the night, repeated her AMAs wins from last year, picking up trophies for favorite rap/hip-hop artist and album for "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded." She was in an all-white get-up, including fur coat and pink hair when she performed her new song "Freedom." The scene was ghostly and snowy, as a choir ? also in white ? joined her onstage. One background singer stole the performance, belting semi-high notes as Minaj looked on.

Usher kicked off the three-hour ABC-televised show with green laser lights beaming onstage as he performed a medley of songs, including "Numb," ''Climax" and "Can't Stop, Won't Stop," which featured a smoky floor and a number of backup dancers, as Usher jammed in all black, with the exception of his red shoes. He won favorite soul/R&B male artist.

His protege Bieber won favorite pop/rock male artist in the first award handed out and gave a shout-out to those who didn't think he would last on the music scene.

"I want to say this is for all the haters who thought I was just here for one or two years. I feel like I'm going to be here for a very long time," he said.

He also won favorite pop/rock album for his platinum-selling third album, "Believe." He gave a stripped down, acoustic performance of "As Long As You Love Me," then transitioned to the dance-heavy "Beauty and a Beat," where Minaj joined him onstage, grinding with the teen for a few seconds.

Swift won her fifth consecutive award for favorite country female artist.

"This is unreal. I want to thank the fans. You guys are the ones who voted on this," she said.

Swift gave a masquerade-themed performance of the pop song "I Knew You Were Trouble." She sang onstage in a light dress while dancers wore mostly black. But then she changed into a red corset and black skirt, matching their dark mood. She even danced and sang on the floor as lights flickered throughout the performance.

Dick Clark, who created the AMAs, was remembered by Ryan Seacrest and an upbeat performance by Stevie Wonder.

"What a producer he was," said Seacrest, as Wonder sang his hits, including "My Cherie Amour."

Carly Rae Jepsen, who performed early in the night, won favorite new artist.

"I am floored. Wow," she said, thanking Bieber and his manager, Scooter Braun.

Party girl Ke$ha was glammed up on the red carpet, rocking long, flowy blonde hair and a light pink dress. She switched to her normal attire when she performed her hit single "Die Young." It was tribal, with shirtless dancers in skin-tight pants, silver hair and skeleton-painted faces, who also played the drums. Ke$ha was pants-less, rocking knee-high boots and rolling on the floor as she finished up the song.

Minaj and Christina Aguilera were blonde bombshells, too: Minaj's hair was busy and full of volume and she sported a neon strapless gown to accept her first award. Aguilera wore a blonde bob in a purple dress that matched her eyeshadow.

Aguilera performed a medley of material from her new album and joined Pitbull onstage.

Kelly Clarkson also hit the stage, making a nod to her "American Idol" roots with a number on her dress and three judges looking on as she sang "Miss Independent." Then she went into "Since U Been Gone," ''Stronger" and "Catch My Breath."

Fellow "Idol" winner Carrie Underwood won best favorite country album and performed, hitting the right notes while singing "Two Black Cadillacs." She talked about singing competition shows backstage.

"These people that go on these shows are so talented, you know? And I would love to see if so many of the other artists that are out there today would go back and try out for these shows, because they might get their behinds kicked by some of the contestants," she said.

Luke Bryan won favorite country male artist and Lady Antebellum favorite country group.

American Music Awards nominees were selected based on sales and airplay, and fans chose the winners by voting online. At this award show, even the stars were fans: Pink said on the red carpet that she'd like to collaborate with Lauryn Hill. Cyndi Lauper said her musical playlist includes Pink and Minaj. Boy band The Wanted said they were excited to see PSY and Colbie Caillat wanted to watch No Doubt.

"What makes the American Music Awards special is the fans choose the winning artists," said Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, who won favorite alternative rock artist and performed "Burn It Down," as Brandy sang along and Gwen Stefani, Usher and Phillip Phillips bobbed their heads.

David Guetta won the show's first-ever electronic dance music award. Non-televised awards went to Katy Perry for pop/rock female artist, Beyonce for soul/R&B female artist, Adele for adult contemporary artist and Shakira for Latin artist.

Along with Rihanna, Minaj was the top nominee with four nominations.

___

ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.

___

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

___

Follow Mesfin Fekadu on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MusicMesfin

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/justin-bieber-gets-love-american-music-awards-082307217.html

dave matthews ambien wwdc heart attack grill madden 13 cover dalai lama tamera mowry

Monday, November 19, 2012

Boston College Eagles vs. Charleston Cougars Preview: Consolation for the Consolation

Boston College basketball hasn't exactly had the type of success that they wanted in the Charleston Classic tournament. After losses to Baylor and Dayton, BC has a chance to avoid going winless in the tournament against Charleston.

The Boston College Eagles were relatively impressive in their first loss of the Charleston Classic tournament against the nationally-ranked Baylor Bears. They were far less impressive in their blowout loss to the Dayton Flyers. Sunday afternoon, they get a chance to avoid the oh-fer in the tournament.

Who? Boston College Eagles (1-2) vs. Charleston Cougars (1-2)

When? 12:00 PM Eastern

Where? TD Bank Arena -- Charleston, South Carolina

Where on my eyeballs? ESPN3

Stuff that could happen:

Charleston lost to the Auburn Tigers on Friday to help BC avoid the weird double-Auburn schedule. If Charleston had beaten Auburn on Friday, the Eagles would be playing Auburn today as well as in Conte Forum on Wednesday. It would have been weird.

If you have watched the first three games of the BC basketball season, you'll know two things: 1) Ryan Anderson is really kind of freaking awesome and 2) this defense needs a LOT of work. The Cougars have scored just 51 and 53 points in their last two games, but the Eagles have allowed over 80 in each of their last two games. Something has gotta give. Hopefully, the Eagles figure out how to play some defense and stop a relatively poor Charleston offense from going bananas.

Each of the past two games, the Eagles have competed for 90% of the game. Once they reach the 35 minute mark, however, they seem to get exhausted and just fall apart. I'm not sure if it's mental fatigue or physical fatigue, but it just gets sloppy. They start committing bad turnovers and fail to execute on either side of the ball. With the day of rest in between Friday's game and today's game, perhaps the Eagles can put together a full 40 minutes of basketball. Similarly, BC probably didn't have much of a chance to correct any of their defensive woes in between the game against Baylor and the game against Dayton. This time, they had a day off and hopefully spent some of that time in the film room looking at what went wrong.

After the loss to Dayton, we talked about how impressive Joe Rahon played. Hopefully we see more of the same today against the Cougars. He was aggressive and quick. Perhaps most importantly, he seemed to make very deliberate decisions. On a team this young, it would be incredibly helpful to have guards who are capable of taking charge and playing with confidence. Similarly, the Eagles need Ryan Anderson to demand the basketball. An offensive possession that goes by without the ball touching Anderson's hands is likely a wasted possession. Even if he isn't trying to score every time, at least get him the ball and force the defense to make a decision. If Anderson is able to set the tone early, Charleston will have no choice but to pay even more attention to the sophomore forward, which then opens opportunities for the other players.

In Charleston's loss to Auburn, they shot a higher percentage than the Tigers, grabbed more rebounds, and shot more free throws. How did they lose, you ask? Well the Cougars were incredibly sloppy with the ball, committing 18 turnovers versus just 5 assists. Turnovers have been a big problem for the Cougars thus far and the Eagles will likely be able to take advantage if they are able to take care of the ball themselves.

Watching the Dayton game, it seemed as though the Eagles were playing a road game instead of a neutral site game. Today, they really will be playing a road game. As the hosts of the tournament, Charleston is obviously playing on their home court. Will that make any difference for Steve Donahue and the boys? We'll see.

Picture this for a minute:

The Eagles are leading 64-61 in the waning moments of the 2nd half. Charleston draws up a play and drains a three-pointer with 10 seconds left on the clock. The game is tied at 64. Steve Donahue calls a timeout to draw up a play. He knows that the Cougars are going to be pressuring the ball and trying to prevent the Eagles from getting a clear shot to win the game. There's a chance that the Cougars could force a turnover, but it's not all that likely. Olivier Hanlan stands at the baseline and passes the ball into Joe Rahon. Rahon dribbles up the court, trying to avoid the halfcourt trap from the opponent. He passes the ball to Anderson who is standing a few feet behind the three point line. There's 4 seconds left on the clock. Anderson receives the ball, he's got a semi-open look to win the game on the deep three-pointer. But something happens.

Instead of shooting the deep three to try to avoid overtime, Ryan Anderson stops and considers the worst possible situations:

What if I take this shot and it gets blocked? I'd look stupid :( What if I shoot it and it bounces off the back of the rim and the other team gets it and then shoots a full-court shot and wins the game?? I'd be sad. What if as I shoot the ball, a real live eagle swoops down from the rafters and carries the ball into our own basket and we lose????? That would bad =(.

Anderson decides that although these scenarios are incredibly unlikely to happen, it just isn't worth trying to win the game in regulation. He takes the ball and punts it high into the air and allows the time on the clock to expire. Steve Donahue and the rest of the BC players are furious. They can't believe that he would just throw away a chance to win the game.

Donahue rushes out onto the court and grabs Anderson to get in his face and yell at him. Right as he's about to shove his finger in his face and go ballistic for such a boneheaded move, Donahue stumbles backwards in horror. The normally baby-faced Anderson is different. He doesn't look the same. A huge, furry mustache has appeared above his lip. Anderson is now somehow wearing a stupid maroon visor. Donahue runs out of the arena, screaming in disgust.

The ghost of Frank Spaziani lives on.

BC Interruption's prediction:

I predict this: Steve Donahue will try to win the game. Because he isn't spineless. Because he cares about his players. Because that's WHY YOU COMPETE IN ATHLETICS --- TO WIN THE FREAKING GAME.

Eagles win, 71-63.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Source: http://www.bcinterruption.com/2012/11/18/3661480/boston-college-eagles-vs-charleston-cougars-preview-consolation-for

ohio state football turkey houston texans houston texans wii u wii u breaking dawn part 2