EARTH: Denying sea-level rise

Public release date: 23-Apr-2013
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Contact: Megan Sever
msever@earthmagazine.org
American Geosciences Institute

Alexandria, VA In 2009, the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission (CRC), a body that controls and regulates coastal development in North Carolina, asked 13 members of its advisory Science Panel to prepare a report on the state of sea-level rise in North Carolina. After the report was published, there was a subsequent maelstrom regarding its utility and validity.

In this month's issue of EARTH Magazine, Orrin Pilkey and Alexander Glass from Duke University describe what happened.

Based on the latest scientific studies both locally and globally, the Science Panel's report concluded that by 2100, a 40-centimeter sea-level rise is highly likely, a 100-centimeter rise is likely, and a 140-centimeter rise is possible. Although the panel did not advocate for any particular response or policy, they recommended that a 100-centimeter sea-level rise should be adopted as the basis for any future coastal management plan.

Opponents said that, if implemented, the new regulations for development would cost developers and homeowners a fortune. After a fierce legislative battle, the opponents advanced legislation that effectively requires no consideration of sea-level rise in any planning until the Science Panel can produce a new report by 2015. How will local political decisions like this affect development along a coastline that is facing rising seas?

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Read the full article online at http://bit.ly/178vGps.

Check out other great articles in the May issue of EARTH Magazine. Discover how whales got their peg teeth; see if salt formations make good waste disposal sites; and get lofted with bacteria all in this month's issue of EARTH.

Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH magazine online at http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines.

The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 23-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Megan Sever
msever@earthmagazine.org
American Geosciences Institute

Alexandria, VA In 2009, the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission (CRC), a body that controls and regulates coastal development in North Carolina, asked 13 members of its advisory Science Panel to prepare a report on the state of sea-level rise in North Carolina. After the report was published, there was a subsequent maelstrom regarding its utility and validity.

In this month's issue of EARTH Magazine, Orrin Pilkey and Alexander Glass from Duke University describe what happened.

Based on the latest scientific studies both locally and globally, the Science Panel's report concluded that by 2100, a 40-centimeter sea-level rise is highly likely, a 100-centimeter rise is likely, and a 140-centimeter rise is possible. Although the panel did not advocate for any particular response or policy, they recommended that a 100-centimeter sea-level rise should be adopted as the basis for any future coastal management plan.

Opponents said that, if implemented, the new regulations for development would cost developers and homeowners a fortune. After a fierce legislative battle, the opponents advanced legislation that effectively requires no consideration of sea-level rise in any planning until the Science Panel can produce a new report by 2015. How will local political decisions like this affect development along a coastline that is facing rising seas?

###

Read the full article online at http://bit.ly/178vGps.

Check out other great articles in the May issue of EARTH Magazine. Discover how whales got their peg teeth; see if salt formations make good waste disposal sites; and get lofted with bacteria all in this month's issue of EARTH.

Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH magazine online at http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines.

The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/agi-eds042313.php

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Scientist identifies protein molecule used to maintain adult stem cells in fruit flies

Apr. 22, 2013 ? Understanding exactly how stem cells form into specific organs and tissues is the holy grail of regenerative medicine. Now a UC Santa Barbara researcher has added to that body of knowledge by determining how stem cells produce different types of "daughter" cells in Drosophila (fruit flies). T

he findings appear today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Denise Montell, Duggan Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at UCSB, and colleagues studied the ovaries of fruit flies in order to see stem cells in their natural environment. Because these organisms are excellent models for understanding stem cell biology, researchers were able to shed light on the earliest stages of follicle cell differentiation, a previously poorly understood area of developmental biology. "It is clear that the fundamental principles that control cell behavior in simple animals are conserved and control the behavior of our cells as well," she said. "There is so much we can learn by studying simple organisms."

Using a nuclear protein expressed in follicle stem cells (FSCs), the researchers found that castor, which plays an important role in specifying which types of brain cells are produced during embryonic development, also helps maintain FSCs throughout the life of the animal. "Having identified this important protein molecule in fruit flies, we can test whether the human version of the protein is important for stem cells and their daughters as well," said Montell. "The more we know about the molecules that govern stem cell behavior, the closer we will get to controlling these cells."

Her research team placed the evolutionarily conserved castor (Cas) gene, which encodes a zinc finger protein, in a genetic circuit with two other evolutionarily conserved genes, hedgehog (Hh) and eyes absent (Eya), to determine the fates of specific cell progeny (daughters). What's more, they identified Cas as a critical, tissue-specific target of Hh signaling, which not only plays a key role in maintaining follicle stem cells but also assists in the diversification of their progeny.

The study also shows that complementary patterns of Cas and Eya reveal the gradual differentiation of polar and stalk precursor cells at the earliest stages of their development. In addition, it provides a marker for cell fates and insight into the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which FSC progeny diverge into distinct fates.

Follicle cells undergo a binary choice during early differentiation. Those that turn into specialized cells found at the poles of egg chambers go on to make two cell types: polar and stalk. The three genes, Cas, Eya and Hh, work in various combinations, sometimes repressively, to determine which types of cells are formed. Cas is required for polar and stalk cell fate specification, while Eya is a negative regulator of these cells' fate. Hh is necessary for Cas to be expressed, and Hh signaling is essential to repress Eya.

"If you just had one of these markers, it was hard to tell what's going on," explained Montell. "All the cells looked the same and you had no idea when or how the process occurred. But now we can actually see how the cells acquire different identities."

Hh also plays many roles in embryonic development, adult homeostasis, birth defects, and cancer. Hh antagonists are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of several types of cancer. However, Hh signaling is important in so many different cell types and tissues that systemic delivery of such inhibitors may cause serious side effects. Therefore identifying the essential, tissue-specific effectors of Hh has the potential to lead to the identification of more specific therapeutic targets.

Someday, targeted inhibition of Hh signaling may be effective in the treatment and prevention of many types of human cancers.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Santa Barbara, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Yu-Chiuan Chang, Anna C.-C. Jang, Cheng-Han Lin, and Denise J. Montell. Castor is required for Hedgehog-dependent cell-fate specification and follicle stem cell maintenance in Drosophila oogenesis. PNAS, April 22, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1300725110

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/3pFbpMK9yM4/130422154949.htm

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Lung cancer mortality rates linked to primary care provider density

Public release date: 22-Apr-2013
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Contact: Kristal Griffith
Kristal.Griffith@iaslc.org
720-325-2952
International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer

Study shows mortality surprisingly not linked to thoracic oncology services

DENVER Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths and is tied as the third leading cause of death overall in industrialized countries. Within the United States, several groups identified by race, sex, and socioeconomic status have been linked to increased cancer mortality, suggesting a disparity because of these characteristics. The relationships are complicated by the fact that many of these characteristics may also be associated with areas of decreased access to care and local resources and not inherently based on implicit biases. Researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington wanted to know the effect access to care had on lung cancer mortality among blacks and whites in the United States. In a recent study published in the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO) researchers found lower mortality was associated with higher primary care provider density.

Researchers examined U.S. county-level data for age-adjusted lung cancer mortality rates from 2003 to 2007. Their primary independent variable was per capita number of thoracic oncologic providers, adjusting for county-level smoking rates, socioeconomic status and other geographic factors. Data were obtained from the 2009 Area Resource File, the National Center for Health Statistics and the County Health Rankings Project. The authors of the study found that primary care density was significantly correlated with lung cancer mortality in the white population.

"One explanation for this discrepancy could be the fact that smaller sample size and bias of incomplete lung cancer mortality data for the black population may have prohibited the analysis from reaching statistical significance, whereas the findings might otherwise have been the same," researchers explain. "Alternatively, these results might be a reflection of the interplay between access to care and use of available resources. Blacks may be less likely to use some healthcare services, even if access and availability are not the primary obstacles."

The researchers conclude that, "independent of race, these findings suggest that interventions aimed at primary care providers may deserve more investigation toward improving access to cancer care." Moreover, "significant efforts should focus on breaking down barriers to care, increasing use of services and educational programs, including smoking cessation. The protective effect of access to primary care providers should be further explored and maximized to its fullest benefit."

###

About the IASLC:

The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organization dedicated to the study of lung cancer. Founded in 1974, the association's membership includes more than 3,500 lung cancer specialists in 80 countries. To learn more about IASLC please visit http://www.iaslc.org.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 22-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kristal Griffith
Kristal.Griffith@iaslc.org
720-325-2952
International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer

Study shows mortality surprisingly not linked to thoracic oncology services

DENVER Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths and is tied as the third leading cause of death overall in industrialized countries. Within the United States, several groups identified by race, sex, and socioeconomic status have been linked to increased cancer mortality, suggesting a disparity because of these characteristics. The relationships are complicated by the fact that many of these characteristics may also be associated with areas of decreased access to care and local resources and not inherently based on implicit biases. Researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington wanted to know the effect access to care had on lung cancer mortality among blacks and whites in the United States. In a recent study published in the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO) researchers found lower mortality was associated with higher primary care provider density.

Researchers examined U.S. county-level data for age-adjusted lung cancer mortality rates from 2003 to 2007. Their primary independent variable was per capita number of thoracic oncologic providers, adjusting for county-level smoking rates, socioeconomic status and other geographic factors. Data were obtained from the 2009 Area Resource File, the National Center for Health Statistics and the County Health Rankings Project. The authors of the study found that primary care density was significantly correlated with lung cancer mortality in the white population.

"One explanation for this discrepancy could be the fact that smaller sample size and bias of incomplete lung cancer mortality data for the black population may have prohibited the analysis from reaching statistical significance, whereas the findings might otherwise have been the same," researchers explain. "Alternatively, these results might be a reflection of the interplay between access to care and use of available resources. Blacks may be less likely to use some healthcare services, even if access and availability are not the primary obstacles."

The researchers conclude that, "independent of race, these findings suggest that interventions aimed at primary care providers may deserve more investigation toward improving access to cancer care." Moreover, "significant efforts should focus on breaking down barriers to care, increasing use of services and educational programs, including smoking cessation. The protective effect of access to primary care providers should be further explored and maximized to its fullest benefit."

###

About the IASLC:

The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organization dedicated to the study of lung cancer. Founded in 1974, the association's membership includes more than 3,500 lung cancer specialists in 80 countries. To learn more about IASLC please visit http://www.iaslc.org.

---

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?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/iaft-lcm042213.php

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London race: Tributes to Boston, extra security

LONDON (AP) ? A defiant, festive mood prevailed Sunday at the London Marathon despite concerns raised by the bomb attacks on the Boston Marathon six days ago.

Thousands of runners offered tributes to those killed and injured in Boston on a glorious spring day in London. The race began after a moment of silence for the victims in Boston, and many here wore black armbands as a sign of solidarity.

"It means that runners are stronger than bombers," said Valerie Bloomfield, a 40-year-old participant from France.

London's is the first major international marathon since the double-bomb attack near the finish line in Boston, which left three people dead and more than 180 injured, including many who are still hospitalized. In addition, a policeman was killed during the search for the two suspected bombers. One suspect was killed during a shootout with police, while a second has been arrested.

Some 36,000 runners were expected to take part in the London race, which also draws tens of thousands of spectators. Police said they planned to add 40 percent more officers and extra surveillance as a precautionary measure.

Most runners in London said they weren't worried by the Boston bombings, and the impressive turnout of enthusiastic fans lining the routes showed the same spirit.

Stuart Calderwood, an editor with a New York running magazine who has run in eight Boston Marathons, said the carnage there had made him and his friends more determined to run in London.

"We thought, 'What's going on with marathons? Are we vulnerable, in danger?'" said Calderwood, 55, after finishing the London course. "My group that came here, we just decided this is going to make us better. We're going to say marathons are the opposite of bombing and hostility and terror. People come from all over the world, work together to do something they couldn't do by themselves."

He said he put his hand on his heart as he crossed the finish line to honor the Boston victims: "I was thinking in the last mile about the kid that died, his name is Martin Richard and he used to run through every puddle he saw in the street. He loved to run. I ran that for him. ...This is for marathons and positive thinking."

David Wilson, 45, said there was no question of canceling the marathon. He noted that Londoners had come back onto the streets the day after the lethal July 7, 2005, transit system bombings and weren't easily cowed.

"You can't not do anything, because otherwise you'd stay on the outs all the time," he said.

But Chris Denton, a 44-year-old engineer stretching his legs by the start line, acknowledged an undercurrent of anxiety. He'd asked that his family not come out to support him because of a possible copycat attack. "I left them at home," he said. "If only for my peace of mind."

The men's race was won by Ethiopian Tsegaye Kebede; the women's champion was Kenyan Priscah Jeptoo.

Among the participants in London was Tomasz Hamerlak of Poland, who finished fourth in the men's wheelchair race and had competed in Boston last week. He said he was determined to race in London.

"It is terrible what happened in Boston, but we can't look back, we must look forward," an out-of-breath Hamerlak told The Associated Press moments after crossing the finish line. "The show must go on."

A relaxed-looking Prince Harry presented awards to the wheelchair racers and mingled with spectators.

"It's fantastic, typically British," he said. "People are saying they haven't seen crowds like this for eight years around the route. It's remarkable to see."

He said it was "never an option" for him to cancel his appearance following the Boston bombings.

"No one has changed any plans, volunteers, security, nothing has changed," he said. "Typically the British way."

On Blackheath, the spacious green common area where the race begins, runners massaged one another's legs as loud pop music boomed on a sound system. A half-dozen police officers in reflective vests strolled around and chatted with the runners.?Many in the crowd wore Boston T-shirts.

Moments before the majority of runners set off on the grinding course, announcer Geoff Wightman used the loudspeakers to ask for silence. He described marathon running as a global sport that unites runners and supporters in every continent in a spirit of friendship.

"This week the world marathon family was shocked and saddened by the events at the Boston Marathon," he said as he asked the people gathered to "remember our friends and colleagues for whom a day of joy turned into a day of sadness."

As those gathered responded to his call, the only noise that could be heard was the buzz of helicopters and the beeping of a truck.

Security was plentiful but not intrusive near the finish line at the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace. Marathon staff, officials and media had their bags thoroughly checked, a process not deemed necessary at the event last year. Officials said this was in response to the Boston attack.

Shirley Gillard, a 63-year-old retiree sitting on a bench at the edge of the starting area, seemed pleased with her decision to come out and watch the race.?She described herself as the type of person who was always worried when spotting an unattended bag on public transport, but said people shouldn't change their habits because of what happened in Boston.

"That would be letting them win, the terrorists and lunatics," she said.

Marathon organizers plan to donate money to a Boston fund set up to help victims. They said they did not consider canceling the event, which is a highlight of the sporting calendar.

In a smaller event in Germany, some 15,000 runners were participating Sunday in the Hamburg Marathon. They wore armbands with the slogan "Run for Boston" as a mark of respect for the bombing victims

Extra security was added and there was no disruption. Hamburg organizers have said that they know of only eight people who pulled out because of the Boston bombings.

___

AP writers Rob Harris and Steve Douglas in London and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/london-race-tributes-boston-extra-security-093847676.html

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Boston attack: Swath of city on lockdown as police scour for additional bombs

Bomb attack in Boston that killed two and injured scores of others prompts a thorough police search for unexploded devices. One was already found and rendered harmless. Experts cite hard-to-detect nature of the bombs.

By Mark Trumbull,?Staff writer, Mark Clayton,?Staff writer / April 15, 2013

Runner Kathy Shirley is overcome with emotion as she sits on the stairs with Iraq and Afghanistan vet Michael L., inside the Prudential Center near the location where two bombs exploded near the finish of the race.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

Enlarge

State and city authorities are treating Boston as a city under attack.

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After two explosions that killed two and injured dozens more near the Boston Marathon finish line, the city shifted in a heartbeat Monday from a festive day of sport to a lockdown environment.?Police were seeking to protect marathon spectators and residents against the potential that additional bombs might go off.

?We are stabilizing the situation,? Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis said during a press conference about two hours after the blasts, which occurred at 2:50 p.m.?

?We are asking that people stay out of crowds and calmly make their way home,? Gov. Deval Patrick said at the news conference.

Commissioner Davis described the situation as ?an ongoing event,? implying the risk of further bomb attacks after the two that rocked the finish line in quick succession.

In the initial confusion of the day, it appeared as Davis spoke that another explosion may have already happened. The commissioner said officials were treating an incident at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, in the Dorchester neighborhood several miles from the marathon finish line in the Back Bay, as potentially related to the other explosions.

According to subsequent news reports, what occurred at JFK Library was a fire in a mechanical room. The cause remains unknown.

Authorities around the city are active Monday evening on multiple fronts: checking the marathon course and other areas for explosives, tending to the injured, helping people who are trying to locate loved ones, and launching an urgent hunt for whomever set the explosives.

Mayor Thomas Menino gave out a hot line for people trying to find the whereabouts of loved ones: 617-635-4500. And a Google people-finder site has been set up for the same purpose.

Separately, law enforcement officials said people should call 800-494-TIPS with any tips related to the crime.

With the two explosions in close proximity to each other, and the possibility that the JFK library incident may be linked to the bombings, the possibility rises that the perpetrators planted other explosives across a much wider area, say homeland security experts. Indeed, another device was discovered and exploded by authorities Monday.

Against that possibility, Boston authorities shut down cellphone tower service in the city to guard against bombs that could be triggered by cellphone, a common terrorist tactic.

Federal and state authorities have kicked into high gear, with federal agencies deploying investigative teams. The FBI has a big field office in Boston, and because this was an attack of some scale, a variety of key agencies are nearby.

While there is little to go on at this point, the fact that the Back Bay explosions did not destroy buildings nearby indicated that they were relatively small-charge bombs.

?What we saw today was a relatively small-scale set of explosions,? says?Stephen Flynn, co-director of the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security at Northeastern University, in Boston.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/n3yk6Vdtw6c/Boston-attack-Swath-of-city-on-lockdown-as-police-scour-for-additional-bombs

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Source: Case being built against ex-Texas official

This photo provided by the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office shows Eric Williams. Williams was admitted to the Kaufman County Jail, in Kaufman, Texas, early Saturday, April 13, 2013, and charged with making a "terroristic threat." Federal and local authorities searched Williams' home Friday as part of an investigation into the deaths of District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia. (AP Photo/Kaufman County Sheriff's Office)

This photo provided by the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office shows Eric Williams. Williams was admitted to the Kaufman County Jail, in Kaufman, Texas, early Saturday, April 13, 2013, and charged with making a "terroristic threat." Federal and local authorities searched Williams' home Friday as part of an investigation into the deaths of District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia. (AP Photo/Kaufman County Sheriff's Office)

KAUFMAN, Texas (AP) ? Texas authorities investigating the killings of a district attorney and his wife are working to build a case against a former justice of the peace prosecuted last year by the slain official's office, a law enforcement official said Monday.

Eric Lyle Williams, 46, was arrested during the weekend and remains jailed on a charge of making a terroristic threat. He is being held on $3 million bond, but authorities have not publicly discussed details of the charge against him.

Williams' arrest came after federal and local agents investigating the March 28 deaths of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, searched Williams' home and a storage facility, and investigators are now focused on trying to build a case against him, said the law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation.

The official said at least 20 weapons found in Williams' storage locker are being tested by ballistics experts. A Ford Crown Victoria similar to one seen and video recorded in the McLellands' neighborhood on the day they died also was found at the locker, the official said.

A state law enforcement official spent two-and-half hours visiting with the storage facility's manager Monday. The official went into the manager's office with a small black duffel bag and left with the bag as well as what appeared to be several documents. The manager, Larry Mathis, declined to comment after the meeting.

The storage locker is located in Seagoville, about 15 miles west of Williams' home, where two signs on the front doors Monday instructed media seeking comment to contact David Sergi, Williams' attorney in the theft case. However, a woman who answered the phone at Sergi's office said he would not have any comment on the case Monday.

Authorities have said little about their investigation into the McClellands' deaths and have not named any suspects. Previous possible culprits mentioned included a white supremacist prison gang known as the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, which had been targeted by a task force that included McLelland's office.

Two others have been arrested for making terroristic threats during the investigation into the slayings, but authorities said they had no connection to the deaths.

The McLellands were killed about two months after one of McLelland's prosecutors, Mark Hasse, was slain outside the local courthouse. McLelland and Hasse both participated in last year's prosecution of Williams on charges he stole three computer monitors from an office building.

Williams has said he submitted to gunshot residue tests and turned over his cellphone after both McLelland and Hasse were found dead.

Both prosecutors gave closing arguments before a jury convicted Williams in April. They questioned his character and suggested he was prone to threatening others. Williams received two years' probation, but lost his position as justice of the peace ? an elected judicial officer who typically handles smaller civil and administrative matters ? as well as his law license.

Williams has appealed the verdict, and on March 29 ? one day before the McLellands were found dead ? a state appeals court in Dallas had agreed to hear oral arguments in the case.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-15-District%20Attorney%20Dead-Texas/id-a5719a0f884d485f8eec92abd5c45c76

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Small in size, big on power: New microbatteries the most powerful yet

Apr. 16, 2013 ? Though they be but little, they are fierce. The most powerful batteries on the planet are only a few millimeters in size, yet they pack such a punch that a driver could use a cellphone powered by these batteries to jump-start a dead car battery -- and then recharge the phone in the blink of an eye.?

Developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the new microbatteries out-power even the best supercapacitors and could drive new applications in radio communications and compact electronics.

Led by William P. King, the Bliss Professor of mechanical science and engineering, the researchers published their results in the April 16 issue of Nature Communications.

"This is a whole new way to think about batteries," King said. "A battery can deliver far more power than anybody ever thought. In recent decades, electronics have gotten small. The thinking parts of computers have gotten small. And the battery has lagged far behind. This is a microtechnology that could change all of that. Now the power source is as high-performance as the rest of it."

With currently available power sources, users have had to choose between power and energy. For applications that need a lot of power, like broadcasting a radio signal over a long distance, capacitors can release energy very quickly but can only store a small amount. For applications that need a lot of energy, like playing a radio for a long time, fuel cells and batteries can hold a lot of energy but release it or recharge slowly.

"There's a sacrifice," said James Pikul, a graduate student and first author of the paper. "If you want high energy you can't get high power; if you want high power it's very difficult to get high energy. But for very interesting applications, especially modern applications, you really need both. That's what our batteries are starting to do. We're really pushing into an area in the energy storage design space that is not currently available with technologies today."

The new microbatteries offer both power and energy, and by tweaking the structure a bit, the researchers can tune them over a wide range on the power-versus-energy scale.

The batteries owe their high performance to their internal three-dimensional microstructure. Batteries have two key components: the anode (minus side) and cathode (plus side). Building on a novel fast-charging cathode design by materials science and engineering professor Paul Braun's group, King and Pikul developed a matching anode and then developed a new way to integrate the two components at the microscale to make a complete battery with superior performance.

With so much power, the batteries could enable sensors or radio signals that broadcast 30 times farther, or devices 30 times smaller. The batteries are rechargeable and can charge 1,000 times faster than competing technologies -- imagine juicing up a credit-card-thin phone in less than a second. In addition to consumer electronics, medical devices, lasers, sensors and other applications could see leaps forward in technology with such power sources available.

"Any kind of electronic device is limited by the size of the battery -- until now," King said. "Consider personal medical devices and implants, where the battery is an enormous brick, and it's connected to itty-bitty electronics and tiny wires. Now the battery is also tiny."

Now, the researchers are working on integrating their batteries with other electronics components, as well as manufacturability at low cost.

"Now we can think outside of the box," Pikul said. "It's a new enabling technology. It's not a progressive improvement over previous technologies; it breaks the normal paradigms of energy sources. It's allowing us to do different, new things."

The National Science Foundation and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research supported this work. King also is affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology; the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory; the Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory; and the department of electrical and computer engineering at the U. of I.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. James H. Pikul, Hui Gang Zhang, Jiung Cho, Paul V. Braun, William P. King. High-power lithium ion microbatteries from interdigitated three-dimensional bicontinuous nanoporous electrodes. Nature Communications, 2013; 4: 1732 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2747

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/vR8b031rWT0/130416151929.htm

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Kerry warns North Korea but seeks peaceful solution

By Arshad Mohammed and Kiyoshi Takenaka

TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday vowed the United States would protect its Asian allies against any provocative acts by North Korea but stressed that Washington wants a peaceful solution to rising tensions in the region.

The North has threatened for weeks to attack the United States, South Korea and Japan since new U.N. sanctions were imposed in response to its latest nuclear arms test in February. Speculation has mounted of a new missile launch or nuclear test.

"I think it is really unfortunate that there has been so much focus and attention in the media and elsewhere on the subject of war, when what we really ought to be talking about is the possibility of peace. And I think there are those possibilities," Kerry told a news conference in Tokyo after a meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida.

Kerry was in Japan for the final stop on an Asian tour aimed at solidifying support for curbing North Korea's nuclear program, and reassuring U.S. allies.

Kerry said the United States would "do what was necessary" to defend its allies Japan and South Korea, but added: "Our choice is to negotiate, our choice is to move to the table and find a way for the region to have peace."

Kerry also sought to clarify his comments made in Beijing on Saturday, which some took to suggest he might be offering to remove recently boosted missile defense capabilities in Asia if China persuaded North Korea to abandon its atomic programs.

The Pentagon in recent weeks has announced plans to position two Aegis guided-missile destroyers in the western Pacific and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system to Guam.

"The president of the United States deployed some additional missile defense capacity precisely because of the threat of North Korea. And it is logical that if the threat of North Korea disappears because the peninsula denuclearizes, then obviously that threat no longer mandates that kind of posture. But there have been no agreements, no discussions, there is nothing actually on the table with respect to that," Kerry said.

Japan's Kishida told the same news conference that the two allies want Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

"We agreed that North Korea should cease provocative speech and behavior and show it is taking concrete action toward denuclearisation," he said. "We cannot allow North Korea in any way to possess nuclear weapons."

NORTH KOREA UNBENDING

Pyongyang, which was preparing to celebrate the birth date of state founder Kim Il-Sung on Monday, reiterated it had no intention of abandoning its atomic arms programs.

"We will expand in quantity our nuclear weapons capability, which is the treasure of a unified Korea ... that we would never barter at any price," Kim Young-nam, North Korea's titular head of state, told a gathering of officials and service personnel applauding Kim Il-Sung.

The KCNA news agency also rejected as a "cunning trick" South Korean President Park Geun-hye's suggestion last week of holding talks with the North.

The South Korean capital, Seoul, displayed the calm it has shown throughout the crisis. Residents strolled in bright sunshine a day after the city's World Cup stadium was jammed with 50,000 mostly young fans of local rapper Psy.

On Saturday, Kerry met leaders in China, the North's sole diplomatic and financial benefactor, and said China and the United States were committed to "the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in a peaceful manner".

During his first stop in South Korea, where the United States has 28,000 troops stationed, Kerry said North Korea, furious at joint U.S.-South Korean military drills, would be making a "huge mistake" if it were to launch a missile.

He also said China was in a position to influence the North's policy and had to put "some teeth" into efforts to persuade Pyongyang to alter its policies.

Japan, separated from North Korea by less than 1,000 km (625 miles) of water and a frequent target of its anger, is well within range of North Korea's medium-range missiles.

Japanese news reports said Tokyo had sent Aegis-class destroyers capable of missile interception to the Sea of Japan. Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptor missiles have been deployed at key locations in the capital and surrounding areas.

Kerry's agenda in Tokyo also included Japan's territorial disputes with China, and the future of U.S. bases in Japan.

He repeated that while Washington took no position about the ultimate sovereignty of tiny isles in the East China Sea claimed by both China and Japan, the United States "opposed any unilateral action that would somehow change the status quo".

A flare-up of the territorial row has raised fears of an unintended military incident near the islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. The United States says the islets fall under a U.S.-Japan security pact, but is keen to avoid a clash in the economically vital region.

(Writing by Linda Sieg and Ron Popeski; Additional reporting by Mari Saito in Tokyo and Jane Chung in Seoul; Editing by Nick Macfie and Daniel Magnowski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-says-agrees-china-peaceful-north-korea-solution-024443871.html

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U.S., China agree on N. Korea nuke issue

By Arshad Mohammed

TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Japan on Sunday, the last stop on an Asian tour aimed at solidifying support for curbing North Korea's nuclear program and reassuring U.S. allies after weeks of threats of war from Pyongyang.

The North has threatened for weeks to attack the United States and South Korea since new U.N. sanctions were imposed in response to its latest nuclear arms test in February. Speculation has mounted of a new missile launch or nuclear test.

"We must make them (North Korea) recognize that their provocative actions will not benefit them at all," Kyodo news agency quoted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as saying during a tour on Sunday of Iwo Jima, the site of a major battle towards the end of World War Two.

Kerry's talks with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, coincide with preparations for the North's biggest holiday of the year on Monday, the Day of the Sun, the birth date of state founder Kim Il-Sung - an occasion for pomp and perhaps a military display.

The North's state media, one of the few ways of glimpsing what is happening in the reclusive country, have so far ignored Kerry's talks in Beijing and Seoul.

On Sunday, state television showed officials and servicemen applauding speeches extolling Kim Il-Sung in a vast hall, a giant portrait of the state founder hanging from a backdrop.

The KCNA news agency reported at length on floral tributes to the leader who launched the 1950-53 Korean War. But it also rejected as a "cunning trick" South Korean President Park Geun-hye's suggestion last week of holding talks with the North.

"If South Korea truly does have a will to have talks, they should rather change their confrontational attitude instead of playing on words," the agency said, quoting the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea.

North Korea has repeatedly said it has no intention of abandoning its nuclear program.

The South Korean capital, Seoul, displayed the calm it has shown throughout the crisis. Residents strolled in bright sunshine, visiting street bazaars and ancient temples.

On Saturday, Kerry met leaders in China, the North's sole diplomatic and financial benefactor, and said China and the United States were committed to "the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in a peaceful manner".

During his first stop in South Korea, where the United States has 28,000 troops stationed, Kerry said North Korea, furious at joint U.S.-South Korean military drills, would be making a "huge mistake" if it were to launch a missile during the current stand-off.

He also said China was in a position to influence the North's policy and had to put "some teeth" into efforts to persuade Pyongyang to alter its policies.

Japan, separated from North Korea by less than 1,000 km (625 miles) of water and a frequent target of its anger, is well within range of North Korea's medium-range missiles.

DESTROYERS, INTERCEPTOR MISSILES

Japanese news reports said Tokyo had sent Aegis-class destroyers capable of missile interception to the Sea of Japan. Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptor missiles have been deployed at key locations in the capital and surrounding areas.

In Beijing, Kerry said that if North Korea abandoned its nuclear capabilities, the United States would have no reason to maintain recently deployed defensive capabilities - like new or expanded missile defense systems in Alaska and Guam.

Kerry's agenda in Tokyo is also likely to include talks about Japan's territorial disputes with China, and the future of U.S. bases in Japan.

The United States and Japan this month announced an accord for the return to Japan of a U.S. air base there, a step towards resolving an issue that has long troubled relations.

On his way into Tokyo, Kerry paid a brief visit to the city's Zojoji temple, where he lingered in its doorway amid the sound of gongs and the scent of incense. He also played with a friendly toddler, Ryousei Furuta, outside the temple and took a look at a Himalayan cedar tree planted in 1879 by General Ulysses Grant, the 18th president of the United States.

(Additional reporting by Linda Sieg in Tokyo and Jane Chung in Seoul; Writing by Ronald Popeski; Editing by Nick Macfie and Daniel Magnowski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-says-agrees-china-peaceful-north-korea-solution-024443871.html

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Forever, For Always, No Matter What : Catholic Adoption & Home ...

Guest Post :: You Can Homeschool Your Child with Dyslexia

As we go through our investigation of some possible reading challenges with one of our sons, I'm trying to learn all that I can. ?When my friend and fellow blogger Marianne Sunderland released her new e-book, I knew it was on my "must read" list. ?I'm happy that she is here to share more about their Dyslexia journey.




As a parent of a school-aged child, one of the most exciting milestones in their little lives is witnessing them learn to read.? The ability to read opens up a world of amusement, learning, and joy by stimulating the imagination to think and dream about all manner of subjects.?


On the other hand, the inability to read as a young child can be one of the most alarming experiences a parent may face during their young child?s life.? Many parents of struggling readers experience everything from confusion and frustration to exasperation and fear that their child will never learn to read, write or spell well. ?
The tendency for parents is to run to the schools, after all, they are the experts right?? After my experience raising and successfully homeschooling our 6 dyslexic kids over the past 17 years (and counting!) I can safely say that the school is no better equipped to help your child than a well-meaning and well-informed parent. ?
Shocking, you say?? Read on...
All public schools are required by federal law to have a plan in place to ?identify, locate and evaluate? children who may have a disability and need special education.? However, teachers and schools are dealing with large numbers of children with a wide variety of individual needs both physical and academic. Though their heart may be to help kids and the system is set up (legally) to support them, managing each individual with specific needs is going to be necessarily difficult as evidenced by the enormous body of laws surrounding the entire special education process.
The bottom line in all of this is that regular, credentialed schoolroom teachers have had
little to no training on learning disabilities; what the warning signs are or how they are
best treated.
Talk to any parent of a public-schooled child with a learning disability and the story is nearly always the same.? The schools are just not providing the kids of research-based, early intervention that science clearly shows is necessary for overcoming dyslexia. ?
So what about homeschooling?
According to the International Dyslexia Association, ?dyslexic students need direct,
systematic and individual instruction in reading and spelling and traditional schools do
not always provide adequate levels of service?.
Benefits to Homeschooling a Child With Dyslexia
Besides allowing your child the freedom to learn at their own pace and using the
methods best suited to their learning styles, there are other reasons why
homeschooling is a better environment for educating your child who learns differently.
? Allows for the necessary individualized instruction in all subject areas: reading,
spelling, composition and comprehension.
? Allows for kids to focus on areas of interest and for lessons to be planned around
those interests.
? Allows for freedom from being measured against peers, day in and day out, with no
learning difficulties.
? Allows for your child to work at their own pace using resources that
work best with their individual strengths.
? Homeschooling also necessarily avoids the rigid scheduling and standardized testing
{and the practice of teaching to the test} that is required in the public schools.
There is no one who knows, or cares for, your child like you do. The resources are out there. It can be done.
Do you have a child who is bright, yet struggles with reading?? He or she may have dyslexia.? It is estimated that 20% of the population has dyslexia.? Dyslexia is characterized by:

• slow, inaccurate reading
• terrible spelling
• difficulty with penmanship
• difficulty expressing self
• inattentiveness, distractibility
• dreads going to school

For more information on Dyslexia, you may be interested in my ebook Dyslexia 101:? Truths, Myths and What Really Works. ? Chapters Include:

• What is Dyslexia?
• How to Know if You or Your Child Has Dyslexia
• Everything You Need to Know About Testing
• Reading Instruction That Works
• Navigating the Public School System
• Everything you Need to Know to Start Homeschooling Your Dyslexic Child
• When to Hire an Educational Therapist
• Dyslexia in High School and College
• Encouragement for Parents
• Tips for Teachers
• Hope for Students

PLUS an exhaustive list of resources, including:

• books
• web sites
• blogs
• apps
• compensatory technology
• links to reputable national and international dyslexia organizations

Available for PDF download or via Amazon Kindle. ?
Marianne Sunderland is a homeschooling mother of eight lively children ages 2 to 21, including adventurous and homeschooled sailors, Zac and Abby Sunderland, known for their world-record setting around the world sailing campaigns. Marianne is passionate about encouraging families to discover and nuture their children?s God-given gifts and talents, in and outside of the classroom. ?Her varied experiences homeschooling through difficult times and with kids who learn differently has taught her much about stepping outside the box in her own homeschool. Marianne?s blog, Abundant Life, provides weekly articles on faith, family and homeschooling that will bless and encourage you:?www.mariannesunderland.com.

Source: http://www.foreverforalwaysnomatterwhat.com/2013/04/guest-post-you-can-homeschool-your.html

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Bradley Cooper wins early at MTV Movie Awards

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY

The MTV Movie Awards got underway Sunday night in Los Angeles, with Bradley Cooper winning two early awards. The actor claimed the golden popcorn trophy for best male performance for "Silver Linings Playbook" and shared the best kiss award with Jennifer Lawrence.

Danny Moloshok / Reuters

"No way that this movie would've had a life without the fans," Cooper said in his best kiss acceptance speech. Lawrence was not in attendance.

When it came to an award that only MTV could give -- Best WTF Moment -- Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Foxx won for a violent Southern plantation shoot-em-up scene from Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained."

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

Related content:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/04/14/17751734-bradley-cooper-claims-two-early-honors-at-mtv-movie-awards?lite

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Liuena Academy

hey, it will take me a bit for me to get a charater posted but I definitly will have one. As far as the type of magic I have one I would like to suggest.
Acceloration; magic that does just what it sounds: accelorates things. The speed of the target accelorated depends on the user's abilty to use it and how long the user is in contact with the target. At the highest of levels one can accelorate something as fast (or in rare cases faster than) the speed of light. Alhough it is rare to see someone get much passed the speed of a bullet even after they have reached their fullest potential.
Now I know this sounds like it is very powerful but their are a few drawbacks to this magic type. First and probably most prominate is that those with this type of magic are commonly NEVER are able to completely control it. Second is that it works from any point of ther body at any time. Third is that when it is used without them wanting to the power is unpredictable; it could be a fraction of the norm or several times stronger.
Lucky for those with this type of magic there are cpothes that are not affected by this magic. This way they are not constantly having to buy new clothes. sadly it is so exspensive that the only ways it is worth it is if you either have this magic or are quite rich. Although due to this magic runnng through the blood of the user and it not always being passed along to the kids it is quite rare to come across one f these magic users. Due to the dangers these uses possess to not only themselves but others they are rarely popular (sometimes dispised) solely because of the power they possess.

if there is anything on that idea you would like changed or you do not want this power at all let me know. if I cannot use this type of magic at all then I will go with air if it is not yet taken.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/KcRCp42gyuc/viewtopic.php

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Three-alarm Bronx fire leaves 37 injured, 5 critical

By Katherine Creag, NBCNewYork.com

A three-alarm fire in New York City's the Bronx Saturday morning left 37 people injured, including one child and four adults who were in critical condition, fire department officials said.

The fire broke out in an apartment on the fifth floor of a building on East 149th Street in Melrose at around 7:45 a.m. Authorities said smoke from the fire quickly spread throughout the 27-story high-rise.

"When we opened the door to put the fire out, it just fills the building up -- the hallways, the stairs -- up with smoke," said FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Jack Mooney.

---

Residents said the heavy smoke darkened their hallways and made breathing extremely difficult. At least 12 people had to be carried down by firefighters, authorities said.

"Smoke was so thick on 22 and the fire started on five," said building resident, Dolores Carter, an asthma sufferer who had to be helped down by firefighters and needed to use a ventilator afterward. "It was a trying time."

Officials said most of the injuries were minor, but four adults and a child were being treated for smoke inhalation in hyperbaric chambers at Jacobi Medical Center.

Red Cross workers were on the scene assisting evacuated residents.

There is no word yet on what caused the fire.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2aaf435d/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C130C17737750A0Ethree0Ealarm0Ebronx0Efire0Eleaves0E370Einjured0E50Ecritical0Dlite/story01.htm

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Bilbo Fans 'Put A Ring On' Bella Swan For Best Hero Race

You've got to hand it to those "Hobbit" fans. They can sure work some video editing magic. The latest and perhaps most innovative piece of Tolkien propaganda comes from the folks over at TheOneRing.net and Vimeo user Speigel Ei, and tries to court Bella Swan to the #votebilbo team for the Best Hero category at [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/04/12/bilbo-bella-swan-best-hero/

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How To Start Marketing Your Business (A 3-Month Plan)

You just launched your new small business. Congrats!

But now what?

You?ve got a great website and you?re ready to start selling widgets or generating new leads. You?re ready to start making money. You know the internet is gonna be a huge part of that. You know you need to be visible online where potential customers can find you.

But how?

Four years ago, I wrote a post for Small Business Trends with a suggested process for launching a new business and marketing it online. It?s time to update that post and talk about?

How To Start Marketing Your Business (A 3-Month Plan)

I?m not really starting a new business right now, but if I were, here?s how I?d do it.

First, Some Assumptions

Let?s assume the following:

• My website is fully developed. I?m gonna have a hard time marketing with ?under construction? signs on my site.
• My website is attractive and is user-friendly. I?ve taken care of the basics of usability.
• I?ve done the appropriate keyword research and my page content reflects that.
• My website has great content for my target audience (and for search engine spiders).
• I?ve done at least the basics of SEO across the site. Crawlability isn?t a problem. Page titles and meta descriptions are relevant and unique, etc. I haven?t gone overboard because SEO requires a light touch these days.
• I?m on a tight budget. I can?t spend more than $3,000 over the first three months for both online and offline marketing. (Four years ago, I allowed myself a $2,500 budget; consider this the effects of inflation.)

Ready? Let?s launch this small business website!

FIRST MONTH

1. Have metrics in place. I?d sign up for Google Analytics. It offers more data than some small businesses need, but you can?t beat the price. You need metrics in place at the beginning so you can track all your upcoming marketing efforts.

Cost: Free

2. Create a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising account. There are two benefits here:

1. PPC advertising is a great way to get instant visibility and immediate traffic. Geo-targeting can be particularly effective for small businesses, and allows you to advertise with a smaller budget.
2. Even if you set an ultra-low monthly budget, you?ll still have access to actual search counts for your keyword terms. (Something that?s often blocked in organic search by Google Analytics.) This data can be invaluable for future marketing and web site development.

Cost: $500/month (My actual cost will vary based on budget limits that I set.)

3. Setup accounts using my business name on the primary social networks. This is as much of a defensive move as an offensive one. Even if I don?t plan to use all of these accounts, I want to make sure that no one else is able to register accounts in my name. In a perfect world, I researched available names on these primary social sites before I even named my business, because it would stink to have a business name that someone else is already using online.

At minimum, I?d manually setup accounts (or Pages, etc.) on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, and Flickr. But to be really safe, I?d use a service like Knowem to automagically claim my username across dozens/hundreds of sites. Knowem offers several different packages with different price points. I?m on a budget, so I?ll stick with the ?Essential Plan? for $70.

Cost: $70

4. Start planning and writing blog posts. I?d create an editorial calendar to plan out my articles, and I?d aim to post two articles per week. I?m not going to start publishing anything until next month; this first month is just for writing. My goal is to get about 8-10 articles written and ready to go ? that?ll help make sure the blog launch (next month) is smooth with lots of consistent, quality content being published.

Cost: Free

5. Start an email list. This is a highly underrated commodity. If I have an email list of dozens or hundreds (or more) people that want to get updates from me, it?s marketing gold. There are several options available to get started with basic email newsletters and email marketing ? Constant Contact, Mailchimp and Aweber are just a few of the options. The cost depends on things like how many subscribers you have, how often you plan to send out emails, and so forth. Since I?m just launching a new business and don?t have an existing list, my initial fees will be quite low ? somewhere in the $20/month range.

Cost: $20/month (estimate)

6. Take advantage of Local Search opportunities. I?d start by using GetListed.org to check my local listings on Google, Bing, Yahoo, and a few other primary local search sites. If my business is the kind that Foursquare users are likely to check-in to frequently, I?d use the business tools that it offers to add my business and begin offering specials to regular customers. The same goes for Yelp.

Cost: free

7. Write and distribute a press release(s). This will be a business announcement, and I?ll want to focus on my USP (Unique Selling Proposition). What separates mine from similar businesses? That?s the story I?m telling. Since I?m on a tight budget, I?ll have to write this myself. I?ll use many of the same SEO copywriting techniques I would for a web page ? using appropriate keywords to describe my products or services, but not overdoing it. Moderation in all things where SEO is concerned.

Once it?s ready, I?ll spread my release both online and offline.

Offline: Many local newspapers have announcement sections for new businesses. Some towns have business-specific newspapers that will be more likely to consider your new business launch a newsworthy event. If your area still has a locally-owned radio station, check if they have a news department and/or if they accept business announcements.

Cost: Free

Online: There are several online sources of press release distribution. I?m on a budget, so I?ll use PRWeb, which offers packages ranging from $159 to $500 per release. I?ll go with the second-level up, which is called ?Advance? and costs $199.

Cost: $199

8. Start monitoring my online reputation. As I start this marketing effort, I?m hoping to get people talking and writing about me ? hopefully saying positive things! But I know not everything will be sunshine and puppies. Either way, I want to know what?s being said about me and my company online.

There are numerous options for reputation monitoring with a wide range of prices from free to big bucks. I?m going to spend some money on this because free services aren?t guaranteed to be around six months from now and usually aren?t very strong. Two services that have affordable monitoring options are Trackur and Mention. Their low-end plans are in the $20-$30 per month range, so I?ll compare the two via free trials and make a decision based on that experience.

Cost: $25/month

Total Costs, First Month

One-time: $269

Monthly: $545

SECOND MONTH

9. Review my analytics. One month won?t give me a ton of insight; my website is too new. But now?s the time to start getting in the habit of looking at how things are going on a regular basis. I?d use the email function to setup a couple important reports and get them sent to me every day, or at least once a week.

Cost: Free

10. Add a blog to my website and start publishing. Search engines love a good blog and they?re a great way to have an ongoing conversation with customers. I?d use WordPress because it?s great, free, and my hosting company probably supports it with a one-click installer. I?d setup my blog at mydomain.com/blog because that?s best for SEO reasons. In month one, I already wrote at least 8-10 articles and I have an editorial calendar helping to make sure I stick with the plan to post regularly.

Cost: Free

11. Be active in the blogger community. I?d use an RSS reader (like Feedly) to track at least a few other trusted blogs in my industry and I?d be active in commenting on them (not spamming them, commenting on them). Joining conversations on other blogs is a great way to gain exposure and make connections.

Cost: Free

12. Be active on the right social networks. I know it?s important to be where my customers are. It might be too soon to get a sense of that using analytics, but I can learn about the demographics of several major social networks and plan accordingly.

Wherever I decide to be active, I?ll start my activity by observing and/or listening to what?s being said, not by cranking up the promotional machine to 100%. I?ll setup the necessary alerts to help me learn about what?s being said about me online.

Cost: Free

13. Join my local Chamber of Commerce. Small businesses rely heavily on networking and word-of-mouth for survival. The CofC is a great way to do both. I?ll ask for a link from the chamber?s web site, and/or a mention in their newsletter. Cost: ~$500 (Actual cost will vary by location, number of employees, and other factors.)

Cost: $500 (estimate)

Total Costs, Second Month

One-time: $500 (estimate)

Monthly: $545 (continuation of Month One costs)

THIRD MONTH

14. Investigate local offline advertising options. Sponsoring high school sports teams, Little League teams, etc., is inexpensive and gives me at least a couple months of exposure, not to mention plenty of goodwill with parents and the community. Ditto for partnering with local charities, schools, etc.

Cost: $500 (estimate)

15. Get more active on social channels. By now, I?ve been blogging for a month and have 8-10 quality posts published. I?ve also been using social media as a listening platform, replying when appropriate, and I?m ready to be more active. I?ll start posting (not just links) more often on my Facebook Page, Twitter, Google+ or wherever I?ve determined my audience is active.

Cost: free

16. Sign up for HARO. That?s the acronym for Help A Reporter Out, a free service that connects journalists and publishers with story sources/experts. I?d sign-up to get the daily email that gives me a big list of journalists that need to find sources. The reason I?d wait until month three to do this is that the journalist/publisher/blogger is going to want to see some proof that you?re an expert on the subject that s/he?s writing about ? and by now, I?ve got that early batch of blog posts and articles I can refer him/her to see my expertise.

The combination of a great blog and PR opportunities via HARO is a great way to build authority and get great links from media websites, blogs and the like.

Cost: free

Total Costs, Third Month

One-time: $500 (estimate)

Monthly: $545 (continuation of Month One costs)

FINAL COMMENTS

That?s my three-month plan for marketing a new small business. Going forward, I?d give these ideas a couple of months to see which ones work and which don?t. At about the fifth or sixth month, I?d start focusing on the ones that do and eliminating the ones that don?t.

Let?s see how I did in meeting my marketing budget:

Total Costs, Three Months

One-time costs: $1,269

Monthly costs: $1,635 ($545/month)

TOTAL: $2,904

Whew! I?m a little under budget.

Note that $1,000 of the estimated $1,269 one-time costs are for offline expenses. Take those away and you really see how inexpensive online marketing can be if you?re willing to invest the time that it takes to make up for being on a tight budget.

I didn?t name a specific product or service in this article. There are additional marketing opportunities that may be effective depending on the size of your small business and what you do or sell. Ultra-small businesses, for example, may be able to market effectively with something as simple as printed flyers distributed around town. Other businesses may find branded publicity materials (calendars, magnets, etc.) to be effective. And some may find that it makes sense to spend money on Facebook or Twitter ads, and other online opportunities.

Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for small business marketing. I hope that the ideas shared here will help you put together the right game plan for launching your small business!

Comments? I?d love to know what ideas you would?ve added to or removed from my list above!

(Stock images via Shutterstock.com. Used under license.)

Source: http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/how-to-start-marketing-your-business/6069/

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