Israeli TV star makes grab for Netanyahu voters

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A TV personality-turned-politician whose centrist party could be a key player in Israel's parliament after elections made a bid for right-wing voters on Tuesday with a call for Palestinians to accept some Israeli West Bank settlements.

Yair Lapid, head of the Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party gave his first speech on Israel's relations with the Palestinians at a settlement in the occupied West Bank, a move commentators said was calculated to appeal to voters from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party.

Lapid said that only granting Palestinians their own state could end the conflict but that "The Palestinians will have to recognize that reality has changed since 1967 and the settlement blocs will stay within Israeli borders."

Polls show Yesh Atid, formed this year by Lapid, formerly anchor of a popular television news show, winning up to 15 of parliament's 120 seats in the January 22 vote.

Most polls predict right-wing and religious parties closely allied with Netanyahu will win a solid majority in the election. But the prime minister drew criticism from some in Likud when he announced last week he was merging the party with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu.

While some polls have shown Netanyahu's merged party may win up to 42 seats, as much as they jointly hold today, commentators say the move could backfire with Lieberman's hardline views driving voters away.

Speaking at the Ariel settlement bloc, Lapid accused Netanyahu of failing to revive peace negotiations that broke down in 2010 in a dispute over settlement construction. Yesh Atid will not join a government that does not return to talks, he said.

Israel has sent mixed signals in the past over whether the Ariel enclave, with a population of 17,000, would be included among major settlement blocs it says will remain in Israeli hands permanently after any peace deal.

The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with east Jerusalem as its capital. Israel captured those territories in a 1967 war. The Palestinians say that Israeli settlements deny them a viable contiguous state.

In another nod to the right, Lapid said Jerusalem was non-negotiable. "Jerusalem will remain under Israeli sovereignty and will not be divided," Lapid said. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move that was not recognized internationally.

Lapid challenged Netanyahu's stance on Iran, saying Israel should rely on international pressure to curb what Israel and the West believe is Iran's drive toward nuclear weapons. The Netanyahu government has said in the past it could use force.

Tehran says its nuclear efforts are peaceful.

Meanwhile, two wild cards could threaten Netanyahu's lead. Former centrist prime minister Ehud Olmert and his ex-foreign minister Tzipi Livni are mulling comebacks and are expected to announce in the coming weeks whether they are joining the race.

(Writing by Maayan Lubell; editing by Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-tv-star-makes-grab-netanyahu-voters-223120946.html

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Conserve & Grow: The challenge is to think fresh - Real Estate India

??|?? October 29, 2012 ?? 10:07am ??|Contributed by manoja

Environment and the idea of environmentalism ? both face serious challenges in India today. The demands of a surging economy require natural resources to be used and exploited at an unprecedented rate. In a populous and poor country, these new demands on resources ? land, water and what lies underneath ? have aggravated the contests between different stakeholders. Villagers who want to hold on to their lands and water sources are pitted against industries that require raw material. Many of these contests are taking a violent turn. Expanding cities are eating into agrarian land. Industrial hubs are becoming public health nightmares.

The forest and environmental clearances given by the Union government in recent decades are an indicator of the rate at which resources are being consumed. In the past 30 years, about 1.6 lakh hectare of forest land has been diverted for mining. Of this, about 48,537ha was diverted in the 11th fiveyear Plan alone ? 30% of the total forest land diverted for mining.

While policymakers face the challenge of ensuring sustainable development , the idea of environmentalism itself is also in a state of flux. The era when the poor could be squashed between demands of industrial growth and imported ideas of conservation is over. A changed polity today has greater space for the most vulnerable communities to argue, fight if required, and demand their own collective and individual rights. The environment cannot be protected in the name of the poor anymore. The green movement today needs to find a way to ensure that the environment is not exploited in the name of the poor either.

Then there is also the greater challenge that links nations and communities across the globe ? climate change. The warming of the atmosphere threatens everybody and makes poorer people more vulnerable. Countries need to take collective action to reduce emissions from fossil fuel burning. But India and its environmental movement will have to ensure that these actions do not come at the cost of a better life for the poor.

The strains and stresses of rising and highly varying consumption levels are now visible on natural habitats as well as on the poor. For them, more than anyone else, a healthy environment is a prerequisite for survival and livelihood. Clearly, people, communities and corporate houses need to abandon the fallacious debate of growth versus environment ; those who can find ways to marry the two for the benefit of the less privileged are the environmentalists this era requires.

GREEN GO-AHEAD

In the 11th five-year Plan period, 276 thermal power plants of 2.2 lakh MW capacity, 203 steel plants of 132mn tonnes per annum capacity and 112 cement plants with capacity to produce an additional 202mn tonnes cement every year, have got environment clearance

8,734 projects have been granted forest clearance and 2 lakh hectares of forest land have been diverted

119 coal mining projects have got forest clearance during this period, diverting 31,500ha of forest land ? the highest number cleared in any five-year Plan since 1981

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Conserve-Grow-The-challenge-is-to-think-fresh/articleshow/17000799.cms

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Source: http://www.indianrealtynews.com/real-estate-india/conserve-grow-the-challenge-is-to-think-fresh.html

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Construction Markets - The Urethane Blog

New figures reveal that the American construction industry may be experiencing significant growth as compared to rates seen during the recession. As makers of spray foam insulation, Demilec USA is encouraged by the industry?s ability to move forward in fragile economic times.

New York, New York (PRWEB) October 25, 2012

In recent years, the construction industry has incurred negative growth as a result of the economic effects caused by the recession in the United States. However, as Americans are exiting this time of economic fragility with a sense of confidence, many analysts are reporting notable growth across multiple industries. A recent article from ForConstructionPros.com reveals that during the first half of 2012, the construction industry has grown by 5.8 percent. Although these statistics are a positive sign, many analysts agree that for the industry to reach pre-recession levels, economic growth must continue for years to come. Demilec, manufacturer of environmentally-friendly polyurethane spray foam insulation, is one business greatly affected by the success of the construction industry. The company celebrates growth and encourages innovative ideas to keep positive industry projections on track.

According to the article, Ed Sullivan, vice president and chief economist for the Portland Cement Association (PCA), recently responded to the signs of growth. Sullivan explains that since 2009, the construction industry has declined an approximate 59 percent; in order for the industry to reach pre-recession levels of economic viability, everyone within the construction industry must take a careful approach to allow for continued growth in the upcoming years. Demilec USA is one company that has chosen to follow this lead, as its eco-friendly spray foam insulation works not only to improve construction procedures for contractors, but also lower energy use costs for homeowners.

According to Demilec USA, changes in the industry?such as addressing environmental concerns?must be made for sustainable growth. Although the article explains that tax increases dictated by U.S. Congress may threaten construction industry development, other professionals, such as Sullivan, feel that there is a chance the industry can survive. The PCA predicts that although growth may prove slow in 2013, by 2014 spending may increase to 9.5 percent. This jump is directly linked to predictions that issues revolving around foreclosures and high vacancies rates will heal by that time, causing increased economic confidence.

In response to the PCA?s predications, Demilec US announces in a recent press statement, ?Demilec USA looks forward to the future of the construction industry and the return of double-digit annual growth within the next five to seven years. We will continue to innovate and provide the latest and greatest in spray polyurethane technology, such as our newest product Demilec USA APX, which will be available to Demilec USA Authorized Contractors in February 2013.?

http://news.yahoo.com/demilec-usa-weighs-future-construction-industry-100224525.html

Source: http://urethaneblog.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/10/construction-markets.html

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Ciberespacio, nuevo campo de batalla iran? contra enemigos

(Reuters) - Dos a?os despu?s de que el gusano inform?tico Stuxnet atacara su programa nuclear, Ir?n est? recurriendo cada vez m?s a la ciberguerra en una creciente pero discreta confrontaci?n con sus enemigos.

Aunque la amenaza inmediata de un ataque militar israel? sobre sus instalaciones nucleares se ha calmado por ahora, las autoridades iran?es est?n presionadas por duras sanciones, una moneda que se derrumba, y un descontento popular en ascenso.

Y dado que todos los bandos parecen interesados en evitar un conflicto abierto, los ataques inform?ticos que uno puede negar despu?s ofrecen una de las formas m?s sencillas de combatir sin arriesgar demasiado.

Los expertos se?alan que es casi imposible obtener una prueba definitiva del autor responsable de un ataque virtual. Pero funcionarios de gobierno y firmas de seguridad se?alan que s? hay indicios que vinculan a Ir?n con una oleada de ataques registrados en el ?ltimo a?o.

Entre los m?s serios destacan los ataques de denegaci?n de servicio que hicieron colapsar las p?ginas web de varios bancos estadounidenses, como Citigroup y Bank of America, as? como una operaci?n contra la petrolera saudita Aramco que destruy? unas 30.000 computadoras.

Lo que muestran los incidentes, seg?n expertos con conocimiento de informaci?n de inteligencia del Gobierno estadounidense, es que Ir?n est? subiendo la apuesta con rapidez, aunque su capacidad sigue estando muy por detr?s de la de Estados Unidos, Israel, Reino Unido, o potencias como China y Rusia.

Los ataques, se?alan, han ganado tanto en sofisticaci?n como en intensidad.

"Ning?n bando quiere una guerra, en especial por los costos econ?micos. As? que esto es lo que hacen en su lugar", se?al? James Lewis, ex miembro del servicio diplom?tico estadounidense y ahora especialista en ciberespacio en el Centro de Estudios Estr?tegicos e Internacionales.

ATAQUES A INFRAESTRUCTURAS

En declaraciones a medios locales, las autoridades iran?es negaron haber participado en el asalto a p?ginas web de bancos. Pero s? dijeron haber sido atacados, atribuyendo fallos en empresas de comunicaciones, infraestructuras e instalaciones petroleras a ataques inform?ticos de otros pa?ses.

Lo que desencaden? Stuxnet, seg?n los expertos, es el ciberconflicto m?s sofisticado y quiz? m?s peligroso que se haya visto hasta ahora. Aunque ning?n gobierno se responsabiliz? por Stuxnet, est? ampliamente asumido que fue un dise?o conjunto de Estados Unidos e Israel para da?ar y destruir centrifugadoras nucleares.

Las autoridades de la Rep?blica Isl?mica conocieron por primera vez los peligros, y el potencial, del ciberespacio en el 2009, cuando los manifestantes que protestaban contra el Gobierno usaron internet para organizar grandes marchas contra unas elecciones presidenciales seg?n ellos ama?adas.

Desde entonces, Ir?n ha incrementado la capacidad de su Guardia Revolucionaria de vigilar la web para seguirle los pasos e intimidar a potenciales disidentes. Pero tambi?n ha dedicado recursos a responder ataques de sus enemigos, no s?lo Estados Unidos e Israel sino a monarqu?as del Golfo P?rsico como Arabia Saudita y Qatar.

Algunos creen que Ir?n podr?a estar brindando soporte t?cnico a su aliado sirio, el presidente Bashar al-Assad. Expertos sospechan que Siria o Ir?n podr?an estar detr?s de la aparente interferencia sufrida la semana pasada en emisiones regionales de BBC World.

"Hay grupos de hackers que podr?an o no ser parte de las Guardias Revolucionarias pero claramente son alentados por ellas. Tambi?n est? la posibilidad de que Ir?n est? comprando ciber-habilidades adicionales en el mercado. No lo sabemos", dijo Ilan Berman, ex consultor de la CIA y el Pent?gono que ahora es vicepresidente del Consejo Estadounidense de Pol?tica Externa.

Lo mismo que hace atractiva esta guerra silenciosa -la posibilidad de negar la autor?a de los ataques y el empleo de intermediarios- puede hacerla m?s dif?cil de controlar.

Las reglas del ciberespacio, seg?n los expertos, est?n muy lejos de ser claras. Washington anunci? el a?o pasado que se reserva el derecho a responder de forma militar a cualquier ataque inform?tico que cause muertes o da?os, pero en realidad muchos creen que la tecnolog?a ha superado por mucho las discusiones sobre su uso.

"En este momento, los estados parecen tener poco autocontrol en el ciberespacio", dijo Alexander Klimburg, experto en seguridad inform?tica del Instituto Austriaco de Asuntos Internacionales.

"Esto es muy peligroso (...) La consecuencia podr?a ser (...) que nos encontr?semos con una redefinici?n de 'guerra': una que nunca se declara, rara vez es visible, pero en la pr?ctica es constante".

(Reporte de Peter Apps; editado por Hern?n Garc?a)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ciberespacio-campo-batalla-iran%C3%AD-enemigos-173226605.html

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Gilles Marini & Peta Murgatroyd Reveal Who Decided On The Dancing Hunk's Towel Costume

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Penn App?tit: Your favorite food is? lettuce?

?Your favorite food is? lettuce??

I dread the unavoidable question, ?What is your favorite food?? While the most common answers include some sort of chicken, a pasta dish or the always-popular pizza, I hesitate to say that I often scribble the word ?salad? when I come across this question on any survey. Now, I know what you?re thinking. You can tell so much about a person from what their ?favorite? things are. Whether it is food, music, or academic subject, while trying to get to know someone these types of questions are the ones people ask first. So, when I voice that the food I enjoy the most is a mixture of raw vegetables, I usually get some puzzled looks automatically wondering if I am (a) a vegetarian (b) a freakishly health conscious individual or (c) just a really bland person. Well, the answer to that question is none of the above. Yes, I often run for the salad bar in a dining hall (and not only because this is sometimes the safest choice), but I could not imagine not eating meat, I am no more concerned with my weight than the next person and I happen to think that I?m far from ordinary. Yet, the frequency of which I consume salad has given me a bad rap.

However, out of all foods, salad allows a person to express him or herself more than any other. The possibilities for how to create your own salad are endless if you think far beyond the standard lettuce, tomato and cucumber combination often used as an appetizer for the more flavorful meal to follow. Skeptics, especially the male ones who find their masculinity threatened by the idea of a salad as a meal, should start at a place like Sweetgreen, located ironically right next to Chipotle and Bobby?s Burger Palace on Walnut Street (so, if your stomach is really aching for a burrito or a burger after a salad, you?re in the right place, though I can almost guarantee it won?t be). There, you?ll find tasty and unique options from ?Guacamole Greens,? a mixture of mesclun lettuce, roasted shrimp or chicken, avocado, grape tomatoes, red onion, crushed tortilla chips and drizzled with lime cilantro jalape?o vinaigrette dressing or their ?Chic P? salad which is baked falafel, chickpeas, cucumber, peppers, and pita chips topped with a lemon hummus tahini dressing over baby spinach leaves. Once you have graduated from the options already created for you, Sweetgreen allows you to combine all the vegetables, meat, and crunchy topping you desire to build a salad that caters to whatever you?re in the mood for at that very moment. Though a little overpriced, it is places like Sweetgreen that prove that it is OK to like salad as much as I do. I?ve learned to embrace the quizzical glances as I joyously dive into sweet corn, plump red grapes, carrots, dried cranberries and toasted walnuts over baby arugula and keep quite as my eating habits are constantly questioned. Those who have labeled salad as boring or to be only consumed while on a diet are sadly mistaken. There needn?t be anything painful about eating lettuce, you just need to know mix it up a little.

-- Xandria James

Source: http://pennappetit.blogspot.com/2012/10/your-favorite-food-is-lettuce.html

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100-million-year-old coelacanth fish discovered in Texas is new species from Cretaceous

ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2012) ? A new species of coelacanth fish has been discovered in Texas. The species is now the youngest coelacanth from Texas; fish jaw and cranial material indicate a new family -- Dipluridae -- that was evolutionary transition between two previously known families.

Pieces of tiny fossil skull found in Fort Worth have been identified as 100 million-year-old coelacanth bones, according to paleontologist John F. Graf, Southern Methodist University, Dallas.

The coelacanth has one of the longest lineages -- 400 million years -- of any animal. It is the fish most closely related to vertebrates, including humans.

The SMU specimen is the first coelacanth in Texas from the Cretaceous, said Graf, who identified the fossil. The Cretaceous geologic period extended from 146 million years ago to 66 million years ago.

Graf named the new coelacanth species Reidus hilli.

Coelacanths have been found on nearly every continent

Reidus hilli is now the youngest coelacanth identified in the Lone Star State.

Previously the youngest was a 200 million-year-old coelacanth from the Triassic. Reidus hilli is the first coelacanth ever identified from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Coelacanth fossils have been found on every continent except Antarctica. Few have been found in Texas, Graf said.

The coelacanth fish has eluded extinction for 400 million years. Scientists estimate the coelacanth reached its maximum diversity during the Triassic.

The coelacanth was thought to have gone extinct about 70 million years ago. That changed, however, when the fish rose to fame in 1938 after live specimens were caught off the coast of Africa. Today coelacanths can be found swimming in the depths of the Indian Ocean.

Chart courtesy of the British Geological Survey.

Closest living fish to all vertebrates alive on land "

These animals have one of the longest lineages of any vertebrates that we know," Graf said.

The SMU specimen demonstrates there was greater diversity among coelacanths during the Cretaceous than previously known.

"What makes the coelacanth interesting is that they are literally the closest living fish to all the vertebrates that are living on land," he said. "They share the most recent common ancestor with all of terrestrial vertebrates."

Coelacanths have boney support in their fins, which is the predecessor to true limbs.

"Boney support in the fins allows a marine vertebrate to lift itself upright off the sea floor," Graf said, "which would eventually lead to animals being able to come up on land."

Texas coelacanth, Reidus hilli, represents a new species and a new family

Graf identified Reidus hilli from a partial skull, including gular plates, which are bones that line the underside of the jaw.

"Coelacanths are not the only fish that have gular plates, but they are one of the few that do," Graf said. "In fact, the lenticular shape of these gular plates is unique to coelacanths. That was the first indicator that we had a fossil coelacanth."

Reidus hilli was an adult fish of average size for the time in which it lived, said Graf. While modern coelacanths can grow as large as 3 meters, Reidus hilli was probably no longer than 40 centimeters. Its tiny skull is 45 millimeters long by 26 millimeters wide, or about 1.75 inches long by 1 inch wide.

Reidus hilli's total body size is typical of the new family of coelacanths, Dipluridae, which Graf describes and names. He chose the name for the least primitive coelacanth in the family, Diplurus, which lived during the Triassic.

"Reidus hilli helped me tie a group of coelacanths together into what I identify as a new family of coelacanths," he said. "This family represents a transition between the two large groups of youngest living coelacanths from the fossil record, Mawsoniidae and Latimeriidae."

Diplurid coelacanths are typically smaller than the two families with which they are most closely associated, Mawsoniidae and Latimeriidae. Mawsoniidae and Latimeriidae both have late Cretaceous members reaching large body sizes, ranging from 1 meter to 3 meters in total body length, Graf said.

Reidus hilli provides clues to missing coelacanth history Reidus hilli is named, in part, for the amateur collector who discovered the fish, Robert R. Reid.

A Fort Worth resident, Reid has collected fossils for decades. He found the fossil specimen while walking some land that had been prepared for construction of new homes. Reid noticed the fossil lying loose on the ground in a washed out gully created by run-off.

Following Graf's analysis, Reid was surprised to learn he'd collected a coelacanth -- and a new species.

"When I found it, I could tell it was a bone but I didn't think it was anything special," said Reid, recalling the discovery. "I certainly didn't think it was a coelacanth."

At the time, SMU paleontologist Louis L. Jacobs recommended to Reid that he donate the fossil and have it scientifically identified. Reid gave the fossil to SMU's Shuler Museum of Paleontology in the Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences.

"It is astounding what can be learned from the discoveries that people like Rob Reid make in their own backyards," said Jacobs, an SMU professor of earth sciences and president of SMU's Institute for the Study of Earth and Man. "The discovery of living coelacanths in the Indian Ocean after being presumed extinct for 70 million years highlights one of the great mysteries of ocean life. Where were they all that time? The new fossil from Texas is a step toward understanding this fascinating history."

Reidus hilli is the latest of many fossils Reid has discovered. Others also have been named for him.

Reidus hilli discovered in Duck Creek Formation of North Texas

Reidus hilli came from the fossil-rich Duck Creek Formation, which is a layer-cake band of limestone and shale about 40 feet thick.

The fossil was found in marine sediments, Graf said. It is one of many marine fossils found in the North Texas area, which 100 million years ago was covered by the Western Interior Seaway that divided North America from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean.

"That is unique to younger coelacanths," Graf said. "The oldest coelacanths were usually found in freshwater deposits and it wasn't until the Cretaceous that we start seeing this transition into a more marine environment."

Fossil also named for Robert T. Hill, "Father of Texas Geology"

Graf also named the fossil for Robert T. Hill, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey who led surveys of Texas during the 1800s. Hill described much of the geology of Texas, including the Duck Creek Formation. Hill is acclaimed as the "Father of Texas Geology."

Identification of Reidus hilli brings the number of coelacanth species worldwide to 81, including two that are alive today. Sources report that 229 living coelacanths have been caught since 1938.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Southern Methodist University. The original article was written by Margaret Allen.

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. John Graf. A new Early Cretaceous coelacanth from Texas. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology, Volume 24, Issue 4, 2012 DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2012.696636

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_environment/~3/QJ74UkxAG4w/121024130929.htm

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Bank of Canada halves third-quarter growth view, rate hike further off

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Bank of Canada is likely to raise interest rates later than it once thought, Governor Mark Carney said on Wednesday, citing weak third-quarter growth and more slack in the economy.

"The case for adjustment of interest rates has become less imminent," he said, explaining Tuesday's change in the central bank's language to say a withdrawal of monetary policy stimulus was only likely "over time."

Carney added the caveat: "But it is important to recognize ... that over time rates are more likely to go up than not."

In holding the overnight rate at 1 percent on Tuesday, the bank said it was still tilting toward rate hikes, but its language initially caused some confusion as to whether it was more hawkish or less. Carney made clear it was more dovish.

He was addressing reporters after presenting the quarterly Monetary Policy Report, which halved the forecast for growth in the third quarter to an annualized 1.0 percent and said the degree of slack in the economy had widened to two-thirds of a percent from about half a percent in the second quarter.

Canada recovered more quickly from the global financial crisis than other major economies and its central bank is the only one in the Group of Seven major industrial nations that is signaling an intention to raise interest rates amid expectations the economy will continue to expand moderately.

The bank also said indebted households in Canada - a top concern of policymakers - may be more vulnerable than it had thought.

The revised third-quarter growth estimate was based partly on temporary disruptions in the oil sector, and the bank painted a brighter picture of the following two quarters. It forecast average growth of more than 2 percent through 2014 as foreign demand for Canadian exports recovers.

"The bank expects growth in the Canadian economy to pick up in coming quarters to a somewhat faster pace than that of its production potential," the report said.

The bank also said recent historical revisions to the household debt-to-income ratio, raising it to 161 percent, implied "a more vulnerable household sector than previously thought".

It saw signs of overbuilding in the housing sector despite a decline in housing investment in the second and third quarters.

But the bank also said consumers may be starting to become more cautious because of their heavy debt loads, and tighter mortgage rules introduced in June were expected to contribute to a more sustainable housing market.

Consumption and business investment will be the main drivers of growth between now and the end of 2014, the bank said.

It sees consumer spending growing by 1.0 percent this year and 1.2 percent next year, both unchanged from July forecasts.

Business investment will remain solid, although "somewhat less robust" than it estimated in July, the bank said.

After the third-quarter trough, the bank sees growth recovering to 2.5 percent in the fourth quarter of this year.

Next year, the economy will expand by 2.2 percent, it estimated, and said the forecast would have been for 1.9 percent growth if not for major revisions in historical data in the country's national accounts to bring the data in line with new international standards.

The bank expects growth of 2.3 percent next year and 2.4 percent in 2014.

It sees potential growth - the speed at which the economy can grow without fueling inflation - at 2.0 percent this year, 2.1 percent in 2013 and 2.2 percent in 2014.

(Editing by Janet Guttsman, Peter Galloway and James Dalgleish)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bank-canada-halves-third-quarter-growth-view-rate-144835235--business.html

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5 Ancient Health Therapies Still In Use Today

Alternative therapeutic medicines from ancient times are still popular in many cultures, and they are used to achieve healing through methods other than conventional medicine. Some of the most popular forms of alternative therapies include mud therapy, tapping, yoga, hydrotherapy and meditation.

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy has been in practice for over thousands of years. Water is a natural part of the body, of which over 69 percent is comprised of water-based blood and other human fluids. Water has numerous effects when it is applied as a therapeutic form of treatment to relieve stress, toxins, ailments and other diseases from the human form. Hip baths, spinal baths, Jacuzzis, steam baths, saunas and sheet packs are often used as a form of water therapy for patients. Since ancient times, for instance, the Japanese have traveled to the mountainous region of Shiobara to enjoy the healing benefits of free flowing hot springs, relaxing their muscles and treating their bodies to total submersion in the outdoor pools.? Cold and hot water treatments can invigorate the cells and harness the power of water in a number of healing therapies. Water therapy has been known to help alleviate symptoms in bloating, gas, constipation, arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, stress and migraines.

EFT Tapping

This form of physical therapy utilizes the fundamental principles of acupressure to deal with negative feelings. Applying pressure onto points along the Meridian System of the body, an energy channel ?map? that connects all organs of the body, one is able to positively affect the activity of the corresponding organs.? Utilizing motions taught as EFT, or emotional freedom techniques, the practitioner rapidly taps onto certain key body points with their finger tips to ?alert? certain good energy flows.? This is perfect for people suffering from panic disorders, phobias, sadness, anger and frustration. The technique is simple to master, and is based on specific energy points on the face, skull, upper chest and hands. It?s an ancient practice used to gently heal the body without the use of needles and pain.

Yoga Therapy

Verified by scientific procedures in carbon dating and astronomy to be between 5 and 6 1/2 thousand years old, Yoga therapy is used to help cure mental and physical ailments while incorporating balance and tranquility to the entire body. This practice of therapy is designed to help you relax and manage your daily stress. Yoga is not only excellent at reducing stress, it can also help you increase your fitness level and strength. It also helps people deal with major health problems such as cancer, anxiety and depression. Yoga has been known to improve conditions in people suffering from weight problems and high blood pressure.

Mud Therapy

Mud has numerous medicinal properties dating back centuries, and it is an integral part of the five elements known to aid the human body. Earth has been known to treat numerous diseases and skin conditions since it contains a variety of minerals. Sulfur, bromide, magnesium and zinc are some of the healing properties that can be found in mud. Clarified mud is mixed with water to form a paste, and it is applied to the skin directly to strengthen the immune system, unclog pores, eliminate toxins, improve blood circulation and repair the skin. Mud therapy is also easily available and cost effective.? Both Cleopatra and The Queen of Sheba are believed to have used Dead Sea mud facials for its beautifying properties.

Meditation

Meditation is an interesting form of healing therapy that connects you to your inner self. People with heart disease, high blood pressure, extreme levels of pain, anxiety, depression and stress have been known to combat their symptoms by over 40 percent through meditation. Meditation works by focusing on a particular object and learning to breathe through the various techniques. New research techniques have also studied the positive effect that meditation has on ADD and ADHD patients, and how deep thinking actually shows calming levels deep inside the brain tissue.

Many of these popular healing practices can be found dating back to ancient times. However, these therapies are still being utilized all over the globe today to help patients achieve balance, health, wellness and spirituality without the risks of side effects from pharmaceutical drugs.

About the Author

Ann Bailey is a former journalist and contributing writer for the natural health industry.? She assists with research articles dealing with?EFT tapping and its anxiety relieving attributes, as taught by the online community at The Tapping Solution (dot) com.? By explaining and demonstrating the tapping techniques, the website assists in spreading awareness of the benefits of this ancient healing art, as well as teaching the technique in a simple, easy to follow, visual way.

Related posts:

1. Practice Mediation Techniques For Stress Reduction
2. Medical Community Increasingly Utilizes Yoga for Health Problems
3. Meditate Your Way to Better Mental Health
4. How Complementary Therapies Can Help You Conquer Stress?
5. Stress Can Affect the Health of Your Skin

Source: http://www.hivehealthmedia.com/5-ancient-health-therapies-still-in-use-today/

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Debate coach: Romney walked into 'bayonets' line

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Todd Graham: Candidates had many areas of agreement in third presidential debate
• He says agreeing is a good strategy to build credibility in debate; Romney missed chance
• When Romney was asked about paying for $2 trillion in military spending, he dodged, he says
• Graham: It let Obama deliver a line that would stick; made Romney seem naive on spending

Editor's note: Todd Graham is the director of debate at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. He has coached his teams to national championships and has been honored with the Ross K. Smith national debate coach of the year award. Graham has analyzed presidential debates for five elections.

(CNN) -- There were many areas of agreement on past policies Monday night in the presidential debate. The problem for Mitt Romney was with the one major disagreement on future foreign policy.

I've always taught my debate students that in any argument, whether at home, at the office, or in public debates, it's important to find areas of agreement.

There are two reasons for this. The first is so that you build up your credibility for when you need it on more important issues. In a debate, if you've already agreed with your opponent on some topics, the audience is more likely to believe you when you finally disagree. And the second reason for agreement is that it lets you pick your battles. Explicitly agreeing with your opponent is a terrific and underused debating strategy that lets you succeed when arguing for bigger, more significant issues.

Opinion: Obama in command; Romney plays it safe

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It was 40 minutes into the foreign policy debate before I heard an area of disagreement on future foreign policy direction. The problem was that Romney had not actually built up his credibility by agreeing with President Obama on any specific future policies. It was painfully obvious. In failing to openly agree when possible, Romney lacked the credibility needed when that first big disagreement came. And when he finally did disagree? Best said by the Holy Grail Knight in the Indiana Jones movie: "He chose -- poorly."

The question was posed to Romney on how he would pay for his proposed $2 trillion increase in military spending, and he flat out didn't answer it. He was busy finishing his previous answer. So by the time it was the president's turn, Obama actually said, "You should have answered the question."

Obama then asserted that the United States spends more on its military than the next 10 countries combined. That's a great attention grabber. By the time Romney finally answered, he simply said we needed a stronger military, and the Navy needs more ships because it has fewer ships than it did in 1916.

But Obama countered with the most memorable line of the night. "We also have fewer horses and bayonets." Obama's debating point was that the nature of our military has changed. He continued by saying that the U.S. has things like submarines and aircraft carriers that should suffice, and reminded viewers that the nation needed to study what its threats are and put money into things like cybersecurity and space. Obama said that the military neither wants nor has asked for this extra $2 trillion.

Opinion: Romney endorses Obama's national security policies

This was terrible for Romney for three reasons. First, it was the original area of real disagreement, and Romney couldn't afford to be bested. Second, no matter what he may actually know, Romney looked like a neophyte when it comes to military spending, as though he were repeating old Republican talking points. Viewers could be left unsure whether he knew what century this is.

And finally, it's two freaking trillion dollars! They both talked about the budget deficit and the need to balance the budget, and over three debates, this -- $2 trillion on military spending -- was the biggest difference on offer. Axing Big Bird would net a President Romney next to nothing in savings, but adding $2 trillion to defense sounded excessive, especially if it's true that the U.S. already spends more than the next 10 countries combined. Point Obama.

I pored over my notes. The candidates had some other differences on future policies, such as who could be a better BFF to Israel (arguably, with his relationships in Israel, Romney might be, but he showed no actual specifics on how his policies would differ from Obama's) and what represents the greatest threat to America (Obama said terrorism, with some China economic arguments, while Romney said a nuclear Iran; but each man failed in Monday night's debate to show why this difference was important). But the topic I couldn't forget was defense spending.

Obama also had a theme in the debate, and he played it more often than the melody in Ravel's "Bolero." The president continually said that Romney sends mixed messages and that he's all over the map. Obama smartly tied this to specific comments from Romney's past (examples were Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Libya) and used Romney's own words against him.

Opinion: Was Obama too relentless with Romney?

Obama repeatedly chided him, saying that Romney needs to be clear in what he says and what he means, while reminding us that in a president, we need steady and thoughtful leadership. This was the president's best debate when referring to Romney's ever-changing positions, since he actually tied it to important foreign policy issues and the real challenge of being a commander in chief.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Todd Graham.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_latest/~3/dCHUKobX6TQ/index.html

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Press release about our latest report to the IRS of church electioneering.

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/americansunited/posts/491970454159916

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Second Reminder - Internet Marketing News Watch

Second Reminder- ?The Business of Awesome: How to Make Your Business Boom? Citrix Online Webinar October 23

Citrix Online?is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, October 23 at 1.00 pm EDT. The topic of the webinar is ?The Business of Awesome: How to Make Your Business Boom?.

Citrix Online?team says, ?Join the Business Awesome series to learn:

• Which marketing strategies and trends are disasters in disguise
• How to establish trusting relationships with your customers
• Ways to drive awesome business to your site
• How you can win a free copy of Scott Stratten?s latest book!?

Webinar Details

Organizer:?Citrix Online

Key person:?Scott Stratten, Marketing Expert and Best-Selling Author,?UnMarketing?and?The Book of Business Awesome

Topic:?The Business of Awesome: How to Make Your Business Boom

Day/Date:?Tuesday, October 23

Time: 1.00 pm EDT?- Time Zone Converter

Register for webinar details.

?The Business of Awesome: How to Make Your Business Boom? Webinar

Source: http://www.imnewswatch.com/2012/10/21/second-reminder-the-business-of-awesome-how-to-make-your-business-boom-citrix-online-webinar-october-23/

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With zombies chasing you, it's best to run fast - Health & Fitness ...

Even if an army of personal trainers and repeated viewings of ?Running Brave? aren?t enough motivation to get you running, Kjersten Salzman of Elev8 Fitness thinks she knows what will get you moving.

Zombies.

On Friday, she?s inviting people of all running levels to race through Tacoma in the second Dawn of the Dead Dash.

Ten minutes after the estimated 300 runners begin, the zombies will be unleashed. The winner will be the first person to avoid the living dead and finish the three-mile route.

?This is fun, it?s not what you typically think of when you think of running,? Salzman said. ?You aren?t just running a course or running on a hamster wheel. Hopefully it will show people that you can look at fitness in another way.?

Zombie races aren?t a new idea. Similar races are held around the country during the Halloween season. (Olympia?s Zombie Dash is Saturday.) But if you think the phenomenon is going to die anytime soon, think again.

Last year, Salzman got the idea for the Dawn of the Dead Dash after reading an email about a similar run on the East Coast. With just two weeks to go until Halloween, she decided to stage her own version of the race in Tacoma.

It went so smoothly that this year she?s holding another race in Seattle on Saturday. She also staged a race Saturday in Portland, where she expected to approach the race?s limit of 500 runners. ?They really like zombies in Portland,? Salzman said.

She?s also been approached about holding races in Los Angeles and Anchorage.

Salzman says the only thing that went wrong with the first event last year was she picked the wrong day ? Halloween.

Seems like the perfect night for this kind of race, but apparently trick-or-treating children weren?t delighted to see swarms of adult zombies running through their neighborhood.

Surprisingly, Salzman said, there wasn?t a lot of screaming among the participants.

?There were a lot more guys than girls,? she said. ?They make more of a muffled growl sound.?

Zombies aren?t the only way the Dawn of the Dead Dash differs from other fun runs.

There is no set course. You can use public (but not private) transportation. It starts at 7:30 p.m., so it will be dark. And participants, who must be 18 or older, are encouraged to dress like zombies, too.

Thirty minutes before the race, participants will be briefed and given a checkpoint card, glow collar and map.

Once the running starts, racers must make there way to all of the checkpoints (there will be three to five) in order before crossing the finish line. A race official must register your bib number at each checkpoint.

Zombies will run the course and hide at locations along the way, but they are not allowed at the checkpoints. Some zombies will move at the dragging pace you?ve seen in horror movies, but most will run at human speed, so the event website suggests ?running like hell.?

If runners are tagged by a zombie they must surrender their glow collar. Without a collar, you will become a zombie once you clear the next checkpoint. Then you?re free to chase other human runners.

Eating brains is prohibited, and, no, you can?t turn back into a human, Salzman said. ?How many zombie movies have you seen?? she wrote on dawnofthedeaddash.com. ?Once a zombie, always a zombie.?

Because it will be dark, racers are expected to supply and use their own light source.

Prizes are awarded to the top finishers and for the best zombie costumes. A post-race party is open for participants 21 and older.

If the race continues to do well, Salzman says she has ideas for other themed races including runs based on 1980s movies.

?It?s great because you?re there to have fun,? she said, ?but you?re also exercising.?

ZOMBIE RUNS

DAWN OF THE DEAD DASH

Tacoma: 7 p.m. Friday

Seattle: 7 p.m. Saturday

Cost: $45-$50

Course: To be determined

Beneficiary: Proceeds from the race go to the YWCA and the Beckwith-Wiedemann Children?s Foundation. Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome is an overgrowth syndrome that increases the chance of cancer.

More info: Go to dawnofthedeaddash.com.

ZOMBIE DASH

Olympia: Saturday at 4 p.m.

Cost: $35-$50

Course: Starts at Marathon Park, Olympia

Beneficiaries: Ace and TJ?s Grin Kids, Heifer International, Shriners Hospitals for Children and The Elks Therapy Foundation.

More info: Go to zombiedash.org.

Craig Hill?s fitness column runs Sundays. Submit questions and comments via craig.hill@thenewstribune.com and twitter.com/AdventureGuys.

Source: http://www.theolympian.com/2012/10/21/2292387/with-zombies-chasing-you-its-best.html

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Proflight Simulator: The Best Option in 3d Flight Simulator Software

Flying and manoeuvring aircrafts can really be fun. But at the same time, it can really be tricky and dangerous. So for the avid fans and enthusiasts of flying aircrafts, using flight simulator software would be the next best option.

Technology has really come a long way. The various advancements as well as innovations in technology have had far-reaching effects in various aspects of man?s life. Whether it is in the field of communication, information, entertainment or business and commerce, the products of technology have really changed the playing field. They have provided a lot of benefits to mankind.

One of the many products of technology that is becoming more and more popular and useful nowadays is the flight simulator software. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of brands and companies in the market today that are offering 3d flight simulator software. One of which is the Proflight simulator.

The fact is, the Proflight Simulator software is hailed by a lot of users as well as experts alike to be one of the best, if not the best, flight simulator software available today. Actually, this does not really come as a surprise since this product comes with a lot of features that puts it at an advantage over its competitors. To give you a clearer idea about that, here are some of the pertinent information about this flight simulator software.

There are actually a lot to love about the Proflight Simulator software.

For one, it is a real flight simulator that will give you the closest experience possible to actual flying and manoeuvering an aircraft. This is actually the goal of the manufacturers of this software. The various features of this flight simulator will give you an experience that is as close as possible to real life.

For instance, this software is actually powered by Google Maps. Thus, the areas that you will traverse are actually more or less the same as the ones that you will see in real life. More so, even the alignment as well as the movements of the planets is patterned after the real deal. Even the weather is in real time. So if it is raining in one particular area of the Earth, that will be reflected in this flight simulator.

Another good point about the Proflight Simulator software is the fact that it comes with free updates. As a matter of fact, these updates are valid for life and they are offered for free. Thus, you can be assured that you will always receive the newest contents of this software. Plus, the package for this software also comes with other bonuses like a flight planner as well as interactive scenery designer which will make the experience even a lot more fun and interesting.

And lastly, this flight simulator software also comes with a money back guarantee for 60 days. So if you are not satisfied with the product, you can give it back to the dealer and get a full refund.

But of course, the Proflight Simulator software also has its downsides. For one, it will really take time to download the entire package. It may even take a couple of hours. Plus, it can be a bit overwhelming at first because of the many features and selection. However, items are categorized to guide you along the way.

Are you looking for more information on Proflight simulator? Visit http://3dflightsimulator.org/ for more information!

Are you looking for more information on Proflight simulator? Visit http://3dflightsimulator.org/ for more information!

Source: http://www.articlesbd.com/articles/261300/1/Proflight-Simulator-The-Best-Option-in-3d-Flight-Simulator-Software/Page1.html

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Home Improvement Hints, Tips, Ideas And Advice iWebdeveloper ...

Improve your home by cutting your energy costs. Check with your utility company to see if they offer energy audits of homes. There are a lot of changes you can make to make your home more energy efficient saving hundreds of dollars a year depending on the amount of changes you can make. It also adds a great selling point for a house for the future.

Create space with cabinets. Building new cabinets in your home is a simple home improvement project that has multiple uses. Not only are handmade cabinets useful space-makers, they can also be beautifully stained to match any home?s decor. Adding your own unique viewpoint can give your home a personal touch without harming any value it may have.

Do not get too personal. When you over-personalize your home to fit the way you want it to look, it is very doubtful that you will be able to recover your investments once you attempt to sell your home. Opt instead for a timeless look that you still enjoy, and you will quickly make your money back if you have to sell.

Tell your contractor your real budget. Many people are afraid that if they tell how much they can actually spend, the contractor will make an effort to spend at least that much. Contractors are interested in giving you the best quality work, so you need to be honest with them about what they have to work with.

Measure dimensions when getting materials then measure again. You want to be sure that when you are getting new materials, you are double checking the size of the area that you need to cover with these materials. Sometimes the first reading is a little off and it takes a couple tries to make sure just what dimensions you are working with. You can never be too careful.

Before the rainy autumn months and snowy winter ones, patch any spots in your roof that may become problematic. It?s better to protect these areas ahead of time, because once snow, ice, or rain make their ways under loose shingles or into holes, they can cause damage to your ceilings.

Before you start painting a room, it is best to know about how much paint you need. Measure the length of the walls in the room you plan to paint and add them together. Next, measure the height of the room. Multiply the height by the length. The square foot of the room is the answer you get. One gallon of paint will generally cover 350 square feet.

If you have a deck, check its water resistance by pouring some water on it after a few dry and sunny days. If you deck soaks up the water, it is time to add more water repellent. Make sure to seal your deck before the winter to prevent long term damage.

When you?re attempting to patch up drywall, it?s important that you do not go crazy on the spackle. The idea is to put a little bit on, scrape it down completely and then, allow it to dry. Caking it on will result in an uneven finish, no matter how much you sand the surface after it dries.

When you buy new appliances to improve your home, don?t just set the old ones out by the curb to take up space in the land fill. Take some time to find a local recycler if they are broken. If they still work, donate them to your favorite charity or sell them for a few dollars to someone who needs them.

If you want the look of granite countertops in the kitchen but do not want to spend thousands of dollars on them, consider using granite tiles. When laid properly, high quality granite tiles can give you the granite a countertop for about 15 percent of what a granite slab countertops cost.

If you?re painting your home, you should make sure that you paint the trim last. Moldings can actually be cut to size and painted before you place them on with a finish nailer in order to avoid any drips, but you should always wait until the end. Painting these first will result in you having to go back over them.

Looking to start a repair or renovation project in your home? Make sure you check out your local home improvement store for ideas and classes to learn how to do everything from replacing a pane of glass to cutting and laying tile. Most of the huge home improvement stores offer a list of free classes available along with several times to catch the class. Bring a notebook and digital camera to record the lessons step-by-step and as an added benefit, most of the classes are conducted by store personnel who are happy to give further assistance once you dig into your project.

When making renovations on your home, you should make sure you hire a contractor you trust. In order for the employee and contractor to both feel satisfied, they should have a certain level of understanding and trust with one another. If that level of trust and understanding is not there, then it is very likely that one or both of you will be unhappy about the results.

If you are improving a home that you plan to live in for the rest of your life, then always get the best materials you can afford. While 10 years may sound like a long time, ask yourself if you really want to be doing this project again down the road, and opt for materials with a lifetime warranty instead.

If you browse through the tips from this site, you are sure to find a tip that can bring your home to a whole new level of beauty. If you apply some of these tips today, your home will be on its way to truly being improved.

Palmira Blandford focuses primarily on electric underfloor heating

Source: http://iwebdeveloper.co.uk/2012/10/20/home-improvement-hints-tips-ideas-and-advice/

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Meningitis outbreak toll: 284 cases, 23 deaths

An outbreak of fungal meningitis has been linked to steroid shots for back pain. The medication, made by a specialty pharmacy in Massachusetts, has been recalled.

Latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Illnesses: 284, including three joint infections.

Deaths: 23

States: 16; Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

___

Online:

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/outbreaks/meningitis.html

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2012-10-20-Meningitis%20Outbreak-Toll/id-33582de62067433faddfce76bd602b27

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The Business Blogger's Ultimate Guide to Mastering Lead Generation

The Business Blogger's Ultimate Guide to Mastering Lead Generation

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Your blog is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful inbound marketing tools at your disposal. In fact, it's practically a marketing Swiss army knife: it enables you to regularly publish content, boost your website's search engine optimization, establish your industry thought leadership and expertise, and it also provides content fodder for your other marketing channels such as social media and email marketing.

But one of blogging's biggest benefits is in its huge potential for lead generation and reconversion. So if you're not taking advantage of all the lead generation opportunities your blog offers -- and then optimizing those opportunities -- you're likely missing out on a huge piece of your company's lead gen pie.

But have no fear! In this post, we'll walk you through all the various lead gen opportunities you can take advantage of on your blog, and even give you some great tips for optimizing those opportunities to make sure you're squeezing every last lead out of your business blog.

8 Lead Gen Opportunities for Your Business Blog

On Your Blog's Homepage

There are three main opportunities to generate leads from your blog's homepage -- using top and/or bottom banner call-to-action (CTAs), sidebar CTAs, or through links to landing pages in your top nav, sidebar, or footer. These options will be visible whether your readers are visiting the homepage of your blog (e.g. http://blog.hubspot.com) or checking out the permalink of an individual blog article (e.g. http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33734/20-Common-Social-Media-Marketing-Myths-BUSTED.aspx).

Because these types of CTAs will be shown to visitors no matter what article they're reading, it's very important to either feature offers that you know are successful among a broader audience of visitors, or offer a variety of offers that most visitors would find at least one or two appealing. Use your landing page analytics?to determine which of your top-performing offers have the best mass appeal and popularity, and feature CTAs for those offers on your blog's homepage.

Here's a closer look at how these types of CTAs might appear on your blog:

1) Top/Bottom Banner CTAs: These CTAs span the entire width of your blog's homepage, so design them with those wide dimensions in mind. For HubSpot's blog, we've found that banner CTAs that stand out from the rest of the page tend to perform the best. Choose bold background colors that pop out from the rest of your page. Select the offer for any top banner CTAs carefully, as these are the most prominent CTAs displayed on your blog's homepage.

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2) Sidebar CTAs: These are smaller CTAs that appear in the sidebar of your blog's homepage. While they're a little bit more hidden than your banner CTAs and tend to generate a lower clickthrough rate, they can give your blog a little lead gen boost. Again, design these sidebar CTAs with their smaller width in mind.

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3) Top Nav/Sidebar/Footer Links to Landing Pages: You can also leverage any links in your top navigation, sidebar, or your blog's footer to send direct blog traffic to landing pages. On HubSpot's blog, for example, we use the links in our top navigation to send visitors to targeted landing pages that provide top-performing offers for the main topics we cover on our blog.

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Within Individual Articles

In addition to your blog's homepage, lead gen opportunities abound within the blog articles you publish themselves. In fact, these are some of the more effective ways to leverage your blog for lead generation, because you have the ability to better target readers based on the articles they're reading, which are the types of articles and topics that interest them.

For example, if you're a unicorn breeder who typically blogs about 3 main topics -- unicorn diet, unicorn grooming, and unicorn fitness/exercise -- your blog articles will probably fall under these three main categories. If a reader is reading an article specifically about unicorn diet, you have the opportunity to feature a CTA for an offer specifically geared toward that very topic. Remember: relevancy increases conversion rates!

Let's take a look at how these different types of lead gen opportunities might play out on a blog:

4) End-of-Post CTA Buttons: Your blog visitor just got finished reading your article about what not to feed your unicorn. What better time to promote your hit ebook,?Everything You Need to Know About Healthy Unicorn Diets? The beauty of end-of-post CTA buttons is that they help you leverage the reader's interest in that very topic -- or a related one. Be sure to choose a CTA for the most relevant offer pertaining to the specific topic you're blogging about for the best success with end-of-post CTA buttons. In terms of design, optimize these buttons for the width of your blog articles.

At HubSpot, again, we've found that bolder end-of-post CTA buttons that stand out from the rest of the content tend to perform best, but you should experiment with different designs to see what works best for you and your readers.

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5) Top/Mid-Post CTA Buttons: Besides end-of-post CTAs, you can also experiment with other placement of in-post CTAs if you want to take a more "in your face" approach. The key is to try to do this as unobtrusively as possible. Don't go overboard -- be subtle, and make sure the offers you're promoting here are educational-focused so you're helping, not annoying, your readers.

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6) Anchor Text Links to Landing Pages: Not every lead gen opportunity on your blog has to be achieved through button-based CTAs. Anchor text links to landing pages can be a great way to sprinkle a little lead gen fairy dust into the actual copy of your blog post -- and at the same time, help you to optimize your landing pages for search! Link some of the keywords to relevant landing pages, as you can see in the first example below, which links to the landing page for our ebook on dynamic content. You can even be a little bit more obvious about it using a text-based call-to-action to download the offer, as you can see in the second example below.

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Off Your Blog

That's right! There are opportunities to generate and reconvert leads from your blog even if a visitor isn't physically hanging out there. Here are a couple of good ones to note:

7) In RSS Readers: Let's face it -- there is probably a good chunk of your blog readers who consume your blog content without actually visiting your website. People who subscribe to your blog via RSS may choose to add your blog's RSS feed to an RSS reader like Google Reader, eliminating the need to ever come back to your blog. Don't miss out on capturing these types of readers as leads! The good news is, if you're already optimizing your individual articles themselves for lead gen using in-post CTAs, your blog will automatically be lead gen optimized for folks' RSS readers since the full contents of the post will get pulled into those readers. Easy as pie! Furthermore, if you're a HubSpot user, you can even customize your blog settings to add an additional CTA to your RSS footer, which automatically displays at the end of every post in RSS.

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8) In-Blog Subscriber Email Notifications: So what about all your email subscribers who read your new articles in full directly in their inboxes? Don't worry -- you can capture them as leads, too! And again, if you're already optimizing your individual articles for lead gen, there's no additional work needed on your part here either, since any CTAs or anchor text links will automatically get pulled into the email, too.

9 Ways to Optimize Your Blog's Lead Gen Potential

Okay, so let's say you're already taking advantage of all these various blog lead generation and reconversion opportunities. What can you do to give it a little boost? Optimize, that's what! Here are nine ways to improve you blog's lead gen potential once you have the basics in place.

1) Replace Old CTAs With CTAs for New Offers

Offers, no matter how evergreen they are, tend to get stale and decrease in effectiveness after a while. If you're using the same few CTAs over and over, there's no doubt about it -- your overall conversions on that offer will decline. Make it a regular practice of updating old CTAs with new CTAs for new offers to keep your audience converting. This of course means you'll need to be creating these new offers, too.

2) A/B Test CTA Designs

The design of your CTAs can also make or break whether visitors click. Experiment with various CTA designs to find out what resonates best with your audience. A/B test CTA button design elements like button color, language, imagery, tone, etc. to optimize for the most powerful CTA design. (Note: HubSpot customers can easily A/B test CTAs using HubSpot's CTA tools.)

3) Refresh Designs Regularly

Just as it's important to update the offers you're featuring in your blog CTAs, even A/B tested and optimized CTA design can also get stale when used over and over again since readers get used to designs and train their eyes to gloss over them. Regularly refresh your CTA designs to keep readers on their toes, whether that means hiring a designer, outsourcing design work to an agency, or experimenting on your own with something like PowerPoint or HubSpot's CTA builder.

4) Implement Smart CTAs

Most businesses will find that their blog tends to attract a lot of new traffic to their website. This makes sense, since articles commonly get indexed and found in search engines or shared through social networks. Because this is the case, it's safe to assume that very top-of-the-funnel offers like educational ebook and webinars would make great blog CTA fodder, since most of your new visitors probably know little about your business and are just starting to get to know you.

That being said, don't dismiss the fact that your blog also attracts repeat visitors (particularly if your content is top notch!). These repeat visitors may be a little bit more qualified (heck -- they may already even be leads), and it might make sense to show them different CTAs based on what you already know about them. Enter Smart CTAs, or dynamic CTAs that enable you to automatically display different CTAs based on information about a lead and better nurture them with content that appeals to their specific interests and needs. To learn more about how to leverage Smart CTAs, check out this comprehensive blog post guide.

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5) Experiment With CTA Placement

Perhaps mid-post CTAs just end up annoying the heck out of your readers, or just never get clicked. What happens if you move up that sidebar CTA so it's above the fold on your blog's homepage? What if you had not one, but two sidebar CTAs? Experiment! You'll never know how your audience reacts if you don't try different things.

6) Optimize Landing Pages

Okay, so you've got some killer CTAs all throughout your blog, and people are totally clicking on them. Fantastic! So why the heck is your blog's visitor-to-lead conversion rate so darn low? If you notice that your blog's conversion rate is dismal, yet your CTAs clickthrough rate is stellar, then you likely have some landing page problems. Don't neglect to optimize your visitors' post-click experience. Spend some time diagnosing, analyzing, and optimizing your visitors' landing page experiences.?After all, if they don't ever fill out that landing page form, all your blog lead gen optimization work is all for naught. Furthermore, make sure your blog's CTAs are well aligned with the landing pages they're promoting. The quickest way to facilitate landing page abandonment is by promising on thing on a CTA and sending visitors to a landing page that promotes something different.

7) Increase Blog Traffic

Hitting a lead gen plateau? Another way to increase your blog's lead generation is not to focus on improving conversion, but rather to focus on generating more traffic. And if it's net new leads you're after, this means attracting new visitors. If you're attracting a lot of repeat visitors who have already converted, it's only natural that the new leads you generate from your blog will start to dwindle. Our new ebook, How to Grow & Scale Your Business Blog, offers some helpful tips for attracting brand new visitors to your blog. Some great tips include increasing the quality and reach of your blog content, seeking guest blogging opportunities, increasing the reach of your social media presence, and leveraging your evangelists.

8) Increase Blogging Frequency

Blogging frequency is an important part of the blog lead gen equation. In fact, according to the latest research compiled in our Marketing Benchmarks From 7,000 Businesses report, companies that increase blogging from 3-5x/month to just 6-8x/month almost double their leads. Furthermore, an average company will see a 45% growth in traffic when increasing total blog articles from 11-20 to 21-50 articles, and the average company with 100 or more total published blog articles is more likely to experience continued lead growth. Remember, the more articles you publish, the more reasons there'll be for visitors to come back and convert!

9) Convert Casual Blog Readers Into Dedicated Subscribers

Don't overlook the importance of convincing your casual blog readers to keep coming back to for more. Convert your readers into dedicated subscribers who become fans and evangelists of your content, and share your blog articles with their networks of potential new visitors. To learn about the various steps you can take to convert visitors into subscribers, check out this post.

What other opportunities can you take advantage of to grow the lead gen potential of your business blog?

Image Credit: jeffreyw

Source: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33735/The-Business-Blogger-s-Ultimate-Guide-to-Mastering-Lead-Generation.aspx

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