Social media companies "friend" politics

FILE - In this April 20, 2011, file photo, President Barack Obama, accompanied by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, speaks during a town hall meeting to discuss reducing the national debt at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. Social media companies have ?friended? the 2012 presidential contest at a level almost unimaginable just four years ago, hosting debates and sponsoring presidential town halls while remaining indispensable tools for candidates looking to connect with voters in the digital sphere. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

FILE - In this April 20, 2011, file photo, President Barack Obama, accompanied by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, speaks during a town hall meeting to discuss reducing the national debt at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. Social media companies have ?friended? the 2012 presidential contest at a level almost unimaginable just four years ago, hosting debates and sponsoring presidential town halls while remaining indispensable tools for candidates looking to connect with voters in the digital sphere. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Social media companies have "friended" the 2012 presidential contest at a level almost unimaginable just four years ago, hosting debates and sponsoring presidential town halls while remaining indispensable tools for candidates looking to connect with voters in the digital sphere.

Giants like Facebook and Google cast their involvement as civic engagement, saying they are eager to help facilitate the national political conversation and encourage people to vote. But their stepped-up political presence comes as those companies and others hire lobbyists, form political action committees and nurture their relationships with lawmakers whose policy decisions affect the companies' bottom line.

"The exposure ? being branded as 'the' place to go for social media ? has huge economic consequences for these companies," said Heather LaMarre, a journalism professor at the University of Minnesota who studies politics and the Internet. "When they appear to be socially active and engaged in democracy, they develop a vast well of good will with the political elites who have the ability to make or break them in the future."

Facebook, by far the largest and most influential of the online social networks, formed a PAC this month to make contributions to candidates. The company also spent $550,000 for 21 lobbyists in the first half of this year to help it navigate potential legislative battles over privacy, patent and regulatory issues. That figure is small compared to other media companies of its size, but well on its way to double the $350,000 it spent in all of 2010, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which studies political money and influence.

At the same time, Facebook has boosted its visibility in the presidential contest. The company is scheduled to co-host a Republican primary debate in New Hampshire with NBC's Meet the Press show days before that state's first in the nation primary. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg interviewed Obama at the company's Silicon Valley headquarters last April.

The company is stocked with political veterans. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, worked for then-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers under President Bill Clinton. The company also recently hired Joel Kaplan, a former domestic policy adviser to Republican President George W. Bush, to head its public policy office in Washington.

Showcasing both sides of the political divide has helped Facebook stress its neutrality. "The color of the site is blue, but the color of the company is definitely purple," Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes said.

Google, the leading Internet search company, has spent $3.5 million on lobbying so far this year while its PAC contributed $345,000 to candidates in 2010. It, too, has become a prominent player in the presidential race, cohosting a GOP primary debate with Fox News in September and planning another with public television and the Des Moines Register before the Iowa caucuses.

Paid political advertising on Google, already popular in 2008, surged in 2010 after Republican Scott Brown's strategic use of Google ads helped fuel his upset victory in a special election to replace the late Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy.

Google, like Facebook, does not want to be viewed as partisan. "Our products aren't political, it's about connecting voters to information," spokesman Jake Parrillo said.

YouTube, the popular video sharing site owned by Google, has also boosted its political profile. The company this week launched a dedicated politics channel where users can watch campaign-related videos and compare candidates' statistics, like which one has the most video views, subscribers and shares.

Ramya Raghavan, news and politics manager at YouTube, said viewers can expect candidates to do more live streaming of campaign events on the site and posting episodic content, almost like a television series.

Twitter, barely a player in the 2008 campaign, has become a go-to digital hub for political conversation in 140-character bursts.

Obama and all the GOP presidential candidates have Twitter accounts, as do 85 senators and at least 360 House members. Former New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner even saw his career unravel over Twitter, after sending a sexually suggestive photo to a woman using the site.

Twitter does not lobby yet or have a PAC, but has begun to ramp up its political and policy presence in Washington. The company recently hired Colin Crowell, who recently worked as senior counsel to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski, to run its global public policy division. Adam Sharp, a former Democratic staffer on Capitol Hill, has worked with members of Congress to use Twitter more effectively.

Twitter recently began to accept paid political advertising, which will appear in users' Twitter feeds with a purple icon that includes information about who purchased the ad.

Twitter's political influence was all but cemented in July when Obama sat for a live Twitter town hall at the White House. He began by tweeting a question ? "In order to reduce the deficit, what costs would you cut and what investments would you keep?" and replied to questions submitted to him through the site.

LaMarre of the University of Minnesota noted that a presidential visit to Twitter or Republicans participating in a Facebook-sponsored debate was essentially "picking winners and losers in the industry."

She added, "It's not intentional, they're the popular sites and it's where the people are now. But there are hundreds of social networking sites out there. By partnering with the big ones, politicians reinforce these companies as institutions."

Sam Weston, a digital communications specialist who has worked in Democratic campaigns, said social network sites were interested in presidential politics as much for the coolness factor as for business reasons.

"For all these companies, the primary reason is cultural relevance," Weston said. "This will be one of the most discussed topics of the next year. It makes sense for them as they pursue their own agenda, to be the primary place where people talk about politics."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2011-10-11-US-Social-Media-Politics/id-411040166ab24a16b8ab93ce5f709b19

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Home Based Business Ideas Definitely Worth Checking Out ...

In this world of information technology and digital media, more and more opportunities are being opened for people to go beyond their conventional office jobs and earn money through the computer screen.? Hundreds of home based business ideas are ready and available for anyone who has basic computer skills, the time, and the dedication to sit back, relax, and work from home.

?For those who are fond of the arts, painting, photography and other such hobbies, there are thousands of platforms that pay for submissions.? With a constant flow of creative digital photography or soft copies of paintings and artwork, one could easily build a name online and earn revenue for when these items are viewed or purchased.
?
?Literary enthusiasts have a vast arena of opportunities on the Internet.? Any written work ranging from short stories, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, creative essays and informative articles, is a good chance to get the cash rolling in.? Thousands of online companies pay for written work, either by putting them up for sale or giving a corresponding rate every time the articles are viewed.? Freelance writing is exploding nowadays because of the advent of computers and the entire online community.

?Secretarial jobs and services can also be provided at home. All that is needed is a home computer with access to the internet.? Several people and large companies are in need of secretarial services such as data entry and encoding, clerical tasks, and so many others, and are willing to hire people from all over the world who are willing to work for them through an online correspondence.

?Small home based business ideas can also include signing up for paid surveys and paid-to-click sites. Thousands of these platforms present free membership, and pay people to answer surveys, sign up for offers, or click ads ? easy cash for easy work.? The downside, however, is that there has been a wide network of internet scams and it is very critical to know which sites are legitimate and which are not.

Whether the unemployed lifestyle is because of retirement, boredom from the usual office work, getting fired from a previous job, or having to stay at home and take care of the kids, there are several home based business ideas that allow people to be productive while in the comforts of their own home.? The most important thing is? to consider the niche that one is comfortable with and is capable of nurturing, find an online platform to finance it, and it is good to go.

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Scott Lindeman -
About the Author:

Scott Lindeman is the owner of a Plug-In Profit Site where you can get your own money-making website setup in 24 hours!

Source: http://mpbtodaytopline.com/2011/10/10/home-based-business-ideas-definitely-worth-checking-out/

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Career Advice ? The Reason Careers Fail | Business Articles Base

Failures or shortfalls in careers do not usually result from the lack of education and training. The number one reason for such disappointments is most often not knowing ?how to work?.

Said another way, the difference between winners and losers in the world of work is that achievers know how to translate their ?know-what-to-do? skills into ?how-to-get- things-done? strategies and actions.

People who can carry out the procedural functions associated with a job are a dime a dozen. But those who can manage people and resources to complete a successful project are in the minority.

CAREER TIP: COMMON SENSE IS THE KEY

Without common sense, the careerist is severely handicapped in driving ideas from incubation to results. He may have brilliant ideas, but unless he can move them through the organization to achieve tangible results, those ideas will die without serving a useful purpose for anyone.

Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, father of the U.S. nuclear navy, put it this way: ?What it takes to do a job will not be learned from management courses. It is principally a matter of experience, the proper attitude and common sense?none of which can be taught in a classroom.?

In his groundbreaking book EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Daniel Goleman posits: ?I would argue the difference (between high achievers and also-rans) is quite often in the abilities called emotional intelligence, which includes self-control, zeal and persistence, and the ability to motivate oneself.?

That equates to common sense in my experience.

Common sense is not very common. This rare quality is much easier to see in hindsight. Some people are lucky. They seem to have been born with common sense. But most have to work to learn its rules. Common sense can be identified and embraced by observing successful careers in action. It can be learned from studying the biographies of achievers.

CAREER TIP: COMMON SENSE IS RARE

It is the goal of this blog and other publications from Common Sense At Work? to provide common sense career advice for ambitious men and women who want to accelerate careers.

All you read in Common Sense At Work publications (click here) is written from my real-world experiences working with a wide range of men and women from working as a common laborer in the sawmills of South Arkansas, to the power offices of the Federal government in the nation?s capital, to the elegant towers of American Express?s New York City headquarters and the sedate club rooms of Europe.

I have also interviewed scores of careerists including those just beginning their careers, middle manages and chief executive officers. I have benefited from the input of professionals who practice in the fields of management psychology and organizational dynamics. Finally, I have done exhaustive research on what has been written and said on the subject of how to get ahead in the world of work.

From these sources I have learned that Common sense is the essential ingredient in career success.

To get common sense advice on how to achieve your career goals subscribe to Ramon Greenwood?s free semi-monthly newsletter and blog. Go to http://www.commonsenseatwork.com His take-it-to-the bank advice comes from a world of experience, including serving as Senior Vice President of American Express, an entrepreneur, professional director, career coach and author. You can also get to his blog via this route.

Author: Ramon Greenwood
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Tags: Brilliant Ideas, Career Advice, Career Tip, Careerist, Daniel Goleman, Dime A Dozen, Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goleman, Groundbreaking Book, High Achievers, Lack Of Education, Management Courses, Minority Career, Nuclear Navy, Procedural Functions, Proper Attitude, Rare Quality, Rickover, Successful Project, Tangible Results, Winners And Losers

Posted in Career Advice

Source: http://businessarticlesbase.com/2011/10/07/career-advice-the-reason-careers-fail/

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Cameroon voters slow to polls, incumbent seeks win (AP)

YAOUNDE, Cameroon ? Voters slowly trickled into polls Sunday for a presidential election widely expected to take the Central African nation's longtime leader into his fourth decade in power.

Some voters even left polling stations without casting a ballot after failing to find their names on voter rolls, or because they were unable to pick up voter ID cards.

A disjointed opposition, an aloof electorate and a ballot bursting with a record 23 candidates for a single-round poll make victory for the incumbent, Paul Biya, a foregone conclusion.

"I have no time for politics. All what you call an election is a masquerade. Everyone can see that there's already a winner," said 26-year-old trader in Yaounde, Donald Borogue, who said he planned to work out instead of vote.

Biya's key challenger is longtime opposition leader, Ni John Fru Ndi, who he has faced before. Biya swept the last election in 2004 with a landslide 70 percent of ballots. Fru Ndi followed with a mere 17 percent.

Polls in the capital Yaounde opened nearly three hours late and to low turnout. Officials arrived late to polling stations and many Cameroonians were still in church service in Yaounde, witnesses said.

Officials opened polls on time in the commercial hub Douala, but voters started arriving nearly an hour late. The opposition stronghold boasts nearly 1 million registered voters, but turnout remained timid hours into polling.

"I am going to do sports right now because I don't see any reason for me to vote. I tried to vote, but I couldn't," said 33-year-old Yaounde resident, Kevin Akong, who said he had tried since Friday to obtain his voter card.

The opposition this year has denounced alleged irregularities on the voter lists and difficulties obtaining voter cards nationwide. Fru Ndi has alluded to "Arab Spring"-like protests if the elections are not free and fair.

Food and living costs continue to spiral in Cameroon, and unemployment has reached a crushing 60 percent, according to government statistics. However, Cameroonians say they have little taste for revolution during the electoral period.

"Instead of asking for change through the gun, through the streets or through violence, I want change through the ballot box, which is the civilized way of democracy. And so, I'm voting for peace," said Anita Assomba after she cast her vote in the capital, echoing a common presidential slogan, "Vote Biya, Vote for Peace."

One of Africa's remaining strongmen, Biya has won every election since he was bequeathed power in 1982 by what was then the country's only political party. Since then, he has introduced modest democratic reforms, allowing multiple political blocs and some increased personal freedoms.

Taciturn and adept at outmaneuvering political opponents, Biya maintains a tight grip on power. He has also kept a lid on simmering ethnic, linguistic and religious rifts in Cameroon, no small feat in a neighborhood of Africa dominated by civil conflict and armed rebellion, analysts say.

In 1992, Biya won Cameroon's first-ever multiparty presidential elections, but the ballot was internationally denounced as fraudulent.

Tensions have flared in the run-up to Cameroon's Sunday vote. Ten days before the poll, unidentified gunmen in military fatigues blockaded a bridge in Douala and fired live rounds, while brandishing signs calling on Biya to step down.

Just two days later, police arrested 126 protesters seeking independence for the country's English-speaking regions. Activists have urged residents of those western regions to boycott the poll.

The International Crisis Group expressed concern that public frustration with the government could spark election-related violence in Cameroon.

The government has deployed additional security forces nationwide. The American embassy in Cameroon has warned of "heightened political tensions" during the electoral period, saying past demonstrations have turned violent and prompted "severe crackdowns by Cameroonian security forces."

In 2008, Biya eliminated term limits from the constitution to pave the way for his re-election bid, fueling already raging riots over soaring food prices that killed at least 40 people.

However, analysts say it is economic rather than political factors that drive unrest in Cameroon, and the risk of widespread unrest during the elections is minimal.

The governor of the Littoral region, speaking from the regional capital Douala, told the Associated Press that voting was unfolding peacefully.

Polls close at 6 p.m. and the Constitutional Council has two weeks to declare results.

___

Associated Press writers Divine Ntaryike in Douala, Cameroon, and Anne Look in Dakar, Senegal contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111009/ap_on_re_af/af_cameroon_election

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The Puzzle of Pancreatic Cancer: How Steve Jobs Did Not Beat the ...

Features | Health

Despite having the same name, the diseases that killed Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and 2011 Nobel laureate Ralph Steinman are different kinds of cancer. Researchers are looking for new ways to diagnose and treat both

By Katherine Harmon ?| October 7, 2011?|

Months to live or years?: The biological mysteries behind the two types of pancreatic cancer still have scientists searching for answers about why some people live for years with the disease and some survive only a matter of months. Image: WIkimedia Commons/mylerdude

Steve Jobs was a rare case, right down to his death. Announced Wednesday, Jobs's death from "complications of pancreatic cancer" only hints at the vast complexity of the disease to which he succumbed at the age of 56.

Jobs joined recently announced Nobel Prize winner Ralph Steinman, actor Patrick Swayze and football great Gene Upshaw as the latest bold-faced name to die from this aggressive disease?one that even he, with his vast fortune, and Steinman, with his use of experimental immunological treatments, could not forestall indefinitely.

Most pancreatic cancers (53 percent) are diagnosed after they have spread?and those have an exceedingly low survival rate, with just 1.8 percent of patients living for more than five years after diagnosis. (For all types of the cancer, the average five-year survival rate when diagnosed is only slightly higher at 3.3 percent.) So how did Jobs, who was diagnosed in the fall of 2003?and who revealed it publicly in 2004?manage to survive for eight years?

Jobs had a rare form of the cancer, known as neuroendocrine cancer, which grows more slowly and is easier to treat, explains Leonard Saltz, acting chief of the gastrointestinal oncology service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. "Survival for many years or even decades with endocrine cancer is not surprising." For that type, the sort that Jobs had, "survival is measured in years, as opposed to pancreatic cancer, which is measured in months."?

"When you have a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, that is substantially different from pancreatic cancer," Saltz says.

Steinman, on the other hand, did have the type that is usually fatal within a year after diagnosis. "Ralph had the garden variety, poorly differentiated pancreatic cancer," says Sarah Schlesinger, an associate professor of immunology and cell physiology at The Rockefeller University, where she worked with Steinman.

Given the grim prognosis for both these forms of cancer, researchers are hard at work trying to develop better treatments and diagnostics, and to figure out just why one patient might live for eight years?and another for eight months.

Two different kinds
Pancreatic cancer is a rare disease, with about 44,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year, and a lifetime risk of getting it at about 1.4 percent. The vast majority of those cancers?some 95 percent?are known as adenocarcinomas, the sort that Steinman had. Jobs's form, known as pancreatic neuroendrocrine tumor (pNET), makes up the small fraction of other pancreatic cancer sufferers.

The pancreas itself is essentially two different organs, which means two distinct kinds of tissue?and two very different types of cancer, Saltz points out. The most common kind of pancreatic cancer, the adenocarcinomas, originate in what is known as the exocrine portion of the pancreas. This is the main mass of the organ, which makes digestive enzymes that get shuttled to the gastrointestinal tract via specialized ducts.

"Scattered in that larger organ are thousands of tiny islands," Saltz explains. "These are islands of endocrine tissue," which makes hormones that are secreted into the blood. It was a cancer of these islet cells that Jobs had.

Difficult to diagnose
Pancreatic cancer is so deadly in large part because it is often caught at a very late stage. Unlike lung or colon cancer, it does not create a lot of early symptoms. Saltz said he was hesitant to even list the manifestations (which include upper abdominal pain, weight loss, appetite loss and blood clots) because they are such common complaints that, he noted, everyone would go home and decide by this evening that they had pancreatic cancer.

Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=pancreatic-cancer-type-jobs

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FBI plans New Mexico search in serial killer case (AP)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. ? Authorities are preparing to search the rocky terrain of a southern New Mexico reservoir for remains of possible victims of a suspected serial killer who once boasted he was responsible for 40 victims, the FBI announced Friday.

Environmental changes to a canyon near Elephant Butte Reservoir on the Rio Grande could make it easier for federal and local authorities to locate possible bodies, FBI spokesman Frank Fisher said. Federal agents, New Mexico State Police and Albuquerque police have scheduled the search for Tuesday.

"We aren't looking for any one particular victim or victims," Fisher said. "But agents will be searching through the ravine."

Authorities have long believed that David Parker Ray could have buried some of his victims in the vast area.

According to his own writings, Ray said he killed and buried his victims in various locations, although none have ever been located. Police aren't sure if he was referring to those he killed or tortured when he said he had 40 victims.

On Friday, the FBI opened up the Ray's trailer showing reporters whips, chains and handcuffs and saying there may be more victims ? and more people with knowledge of the case. It was only the second time that authorities opened up the trailer to media. In 2002, New Mexico State Police opened up the trailer to reporters.

Inside were intricate, handcrafted torture devices, photographs of women being tortured and a number of sex toys. The trailer also had a coffin and a black box that authorities said Ray used to torture victims when he placed their heads inside.

Ray was arrested in 1999 after a naked woman wearing only a dog collar and chain fled his home. She told police she has been tortured by Ray, and investigators later found surgical tools and video cameras inside his 20-foot-long white trailer that he dubbed a "toy box."

Besides the woman with the chain, two other women later made similar allegations of being abducted, chained and sexually tortured. A massive investigation followed and various law enforcement agents combed Ray's property looking for clues.

Various torture devices including a type of cattle prod, an audiotape of Ray's voice describing sexual acts and several lists on torture were among the items seized as evidence.

Ray was initially charged with 37 counts involving three women ? the woman who fled naked, a Colorado woman who was tortured in 1996 and another woman.

He was convicted in 2001 of kidnapping and torturing the Colorado woman, and he pleaded guilty to kidnapping and rape charges in the case of the woman who fled naked. The third case was dismissed as part of a plea bargain.

Ray was sentenced to more than 223 years in prison. He died in prison in 2002.

Authorities believe more victims who survived Ray's torturous acts could still be alive and could give police information on possible lost victims, Fisher said. Authorities are armed with DNA information from a missing persons' database that could help identify remains, should any be found, he said.

"We just don't know if there are any there," said Fisher. "But we do believe there are victims somewhere."

___

Follow Russell Contreras on Twitter at http://twitter.com/russcontreras

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111008/ap_on_re_us/us_sex_torture_case

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FBI searches landfill for clues in missing baby case (Reuters)

KANSAS CITY, Mo (Reuters) ? Investigators searched a landfill on Friday for clues in the disappearance of a 10-month-old Kansas City girl who was reported missing from her crib on Tuesday, FBI and police officials said.

Agents from the FBI searched the landfill in Shawnee, Kansas, on the outskirts of metropolitan Kansas City, said Bridget Patton, spokeswoman for the FBI in Kansas City.

"We are just looking for any clues, it's part of the investigation," Patton said. Agents had been at the landfill earlier in the week but wanted to search a second time, she said. The search ended on Friday afternoon but she would not say if agents recovered any evidence.

The FBI and police are investigating what may have happened to Lisa Irwin, and the landfill search came a day after Kansas City Police spokesman Steve Young said the girl's parents had stopped talking to detectives.

The father, Jeremy Irwin, said he and Lisa's mother, Deborah Bradley, were worn out from constant interrogation over the previous days.

Bradley has said she put the girl to bed about 10:30 p.m. on Monday, and Irwin said he found his daughter missing at about 4 a.m. on Tuesday when he returned from work. Both said their three cell phones were missing, making them unable to immediately call police.

On Friday, Bradley said on "The Today Show" that police told her she failed a voluntary lie detector test.

"They said that I failed, and I continue to say that's not possible because I don't know where she's at," Bradley said.

"I did not do this. They just kept saying I failed, I failed, and I said that's not possible. What do you say when someone tells you that, and you know you didn't do anything?"

Lisa's father said he would take a lie detector test if asked.

"I just couldn't take it anymore," Irwin said on "Good Morning America". "I told them I had to have a break." He said the couple was still doing everything possible to find Lisa.

Young did not give a police version of why he said the couple stopped cooperating. He had praised them in previous days for responding to all questions. He said on Thursday night that Irwin and Bradley were not suspects and that police still don't have a suspect.

The landfill that was searched on Friday is not near the family's home, but it accepts trash from a wide-ranging area, said Stacey Graves, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City Police Department.

The FBI's Patton said the landfill search was not necessarily the result of a tip but can be a routine part of such an investigation.

(Writing and reporting by Kevin Murphy; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111007/us_nm/us_crime_baby_missing

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