Thursday, May 31, 2012

Police: Suspected Seattle gunman has shot himself

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CityIS.com Enables Businesses to Connect to the Latest Video ...

San Francisco, CA? (PRBuzz.com) May 29, 2012 -- The world is changing rapidly, and the importance of globalization is becoming more and more apparent all the time. Almost every kind of business must now be equipped to make contacts in other regions, time zones and countries. Whether communicating with clients, suppliers or partners, establishing an effective way to interact is essential for success.

Most businesses rely on some form of telecommunication -- or they will need to in the near future -- and these forms of technology evolve quickly. Because the success of a business often rests on its capacity to keep up with evolving technologies, business owners and directors all over the world are talking about a website that is allowing them to do just that.

CityIS is a company that specializes in video conferencing, and its website has become a valuable source of information for business that need solutions for remote communication. The website of CityIS explains, "We look beyond traditional video conferencing and provide our clients with a true unified communications platform, transforming the way they communicate and interact."

CityIS continues, "Our combined mission is to 'make people better together.' Our goal is to contribute to new and profitable ways of doing business and our aim is to set the standard for video communications and collaboration."

The CityIS website allows businesses to browse available video conferencing services -- including managed services, deployment services and subscription services -- as well as video conferencing products such as Cisco TelePresence, network infrastructure, display systems, projection systems, control systems and interactive whiteboards.

In the Solutions section of the CityIS website, visitors will find information on specialized solutions for large businesses, small- and medium-sized businesses and government organizations. In the Industry section, businesses from industries such as banking and finance, manufacturing, retail and media, healthcare and more can discover how the products and services provided by CityIS would respond to their needs.

Those who are new to video conferencing can get informed by consulting the website's large collection of resources, which include video examples of companies that use video communications, white papers about the video conferencing industry and frequently asked questions. Visitors who need to get up to speed quickly should check out the glossary of terms as well as the series of how-to videos on topics such as "Making a Bridge Call" and "Remote Dialing."

By visiting this website, businesses and organizations can even discover how they can try certain CityIS solutions for free.

About CityIS:

CityIS is a video conferencing and video communication specialist based in London, Singapore and New York offering the latest in communication and telepresence technology. With 13 global offices strategically located to deliver global support, CityIS has a vision to become the leading global visual communications specialist.

For more information, please visit: http://www.cityis.com/

Contact
Joe Bragg
joe@brandoutreach.com
(415) 632 1664
read full article

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ACN Review Network Marketing Opportunity Or Simply Just Another ...

The following ACN review will teach you that the program is an authentic network marketing opportunity based on sound products and a reliable company. If you?re uneasy about an MLM business being a scam just simply examine its products and its background. Most scams don?t have any merchandise and don?t last for very long, so let?s first examine the business in these terms and discuss the products first.

ACN Products

ACN sells global telecommunications products and services:

. Digital telephone services
. Video phone services
. Internet services including wireless communications
. Home protection systems
. Satellite TV with and without internet
. WiMAX
. ACN-specific products and support services

These are all respected products, and are what you can expect to be promoting when you join the ACN network marketing program. ACN responded to the VoIP eruption that endangered their telecoms business by focusing on developing their videophone products. VoIP has many problems, including security problems, in which traditional phones don?t, and ACN made sure that they made the best use of this fact.

So who is ACN, who created the company and how long have they been in business?

ACN Founders

ACN was created by four entrepreneurs since 1993, and at that time the company has grown considerably. Based in Concord, North Carolina, ACN Inc. started as American Communications Network, but it expanded fast and extended into Europe in 1999 and then Asia, therefore changed to just ACN Inc. It currently operates in 23 countries.

The founders are four entrepreneurs who saw a gap in the market: Greg Provenzano, Robert Stevanovski, Mike Cupisz and Tony Cupisz, each of whom offers many years of experience with running businesses associated with direct selling. They therefore have the pedigree, along with an annual increase of 40%, the business is solid, an excellent MLM business, and network marketing opportunity.

It is an established name, and has been featured in several extremely respectable publications including USA Today, Inc Magazine and Success from Home magazine. It is therefore not a fly-by-night business, hoping to earn a few quick bucks from some gullible people and then vanish into the night with the money.

ACN Compensation plan

Initially a potential problem with the ACN network marketing program may be that there is a relatively minimal markup on its products. That?s because they are all non-unique, so that they cannot be given inflated prices like other MLM program products. You therefore need to sell more volume to develop a substantial income.

However, when you look closer into the company you have a very wide range of products to sell which makes up for the low return, and you will discover it much easier to sell ACN products compared to those of single-product plans. Many customers use more than one ACN product, and you can easily make up the difference by promoting multiple products. They are all goods that practically everyone uses, so they are not tough to sell.

Like several other network marketing or MLM program, you get paid more revenue the bigger your downline, although you will be expected to keep a certain number of customers. Most customers will be involved in more than one product, in recurring payments for instance cell phone services, and also in repeat sales, so this is generally not difficult to accomplish.

ACN Product Benefits

The benefit of ACN products is that they are not luxuries. The majority of individuals will pay some kind of bill for internet services, phone services or TV bills every month ? remember you?re selling services and not simply just the hard goods, so we are talking about repeated billing here.
There?s a growing demand for telecommunication equipment and services, and you will not be lacking potential customers.

A nutritional product, on the other hand, is a luxury that some individuals might purchase a couple of times and then quit when they do not see any visible improvement in the way they look or feel. Possibly the closest in terms of recurring purchases go is Amway and we all know how successful that was ? and still is. With ACN you get paid monthly as long as the customer continues to be active ? that?s better than an one time payment for an individual sale.

When times get hard and money becomes scarce, individuals will drop the luxuries and keep the things they see as essentials: their cell phone, satellite TV and landline. So while your revenue is secure, that of the health products might not be because these are regarded as luxuries. Consider this: if you can only pay for one which will it be ? your cell phone or your fruit juice?

ACN Review ? The Bottom Line

The bottom line of this ACN review is the business is a secure and proven one, 18 years old and with excellent growth potential. The products are desirable and popular, and almost all instances essentials for the majority of of the population. They provide the likelihood of recurring income and repeat purchases and the company helps with suggestions on advertising and promotional material.

ACN Inc. is an excellent choice for a network marketing or MLM business that offers products with proven revenue potential, are simple to sell and it?s relatively easy to persuade others to sign up with your team.

Visit ACN Review to view even more great facts about how the top leaders are using the web to build a profitable ACN Business. The free video will everything.

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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Aung San Suu Kyi Starts Landmark Bangkok Visit (Voice Of America)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Maine Mummy: Everyday Restaurant Review: Cracker Barrel

Restaurant reviews have a tendency to focus on independent local places,
critics are rarely concerned with the everyday place that most people
spend their time and money in. If you want to know what's good at
Bugaboo Creek, or if you will like Olive Garden, then you generally have
to phone a friend.

On Sunday night Husby and I went on a date, to Cracker Barrel. Our local Cracker Barrel opened last year and despite wanting to, we had yet to go. I have heard nothing about it, save that the store is cool, and so really wanted to go. Since I was in the mood for some home style food, it seemed, from the name of the place, that this was the right place to go.

As the AC was quite chilly we each had a hot drink, I was pleasantly surprised with my English Breakfast Tea as I am quite picky about such things. We did not have a starter, as the meals described seemed to be quite large, and, well, if Fried Mushrooms aren't on the menu I'm hard pressed to pick one. Husby ordered the Reuben Platter, and I, having gone with the intent of having Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes, had Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes. You get three sides and corn bread and a biscuit with your meal. I liked this as often I have to choose cornbread at the expense of another side. As well as regular ole Corn and Mashed Potatoes, I tried the Fried Apples that seemed to be a Cracker Barrel signature. Imagine an Apple Crumble (Crisp), removing the Crumbly (crispy) part, the remaining apple mix that you are left with is what they mean by Fried Apples. Great with Pork Chops but not so great with Meatloaf. It easily adapted and served as a dessert however. The Meatloaf was good but not brimming with flavor, as were the mashed potatoes. My husband enjoyed his Reuben Platter but commented that it was "Meh," which in his language means nothing special but not bad. He had a side of Chicken and Rice soup, and I think would have quite happily taken a bath in the stuff. I'd be interested in trying their Chicken Pie because the soup was excellent. We did not have dessert.

It was much cheaper than I was expecting, a little over twenty bucks for two meals and two hot drinks isn't bad for a family on a budget looking for a date night.

The woman who seated us was very pleasant. The woman who served us was pleasant but also moved along at a brisk clip which I appreciated. She brought the bill while we were still eating which some might not like but I LOVED because when I am done, I am done and I want to be gone. I hate having to wait, or even worse ask for the bill. She thought I was on vacation which was cute. Drinks service was quick and she checked for refills without being disruptive.

The table was clean, the silverware was clean, the ketchup bottle was not sticky. These things should be a given but they are not so I give credit! The bathrooms were great. We were there between 5.30 and 7 on a Sunday and they were spotless. Clean, not damp, no toilet paper sticking to unusual places. They also indicated the there was a baby changing station in the mens room which is a big thumbs up for this chain in my book. When I was pregnant, Toby's diapers made me throw up, so Husby had to change most of them. It became a problem when eating out, since public bathrooms also made me nauseous! I used to hold my breath and inhale through a wipey when I needed to breathe!

The piece de resistance of the Cracker Barrel experience is the store. It was everything I expected from every good quality tourist trap we visited in Florida when I was 11, I love those places. Patriotic clothing, old fashioned candy, wooden toys, vintage toys, decorations, ornaments, cds and dvds of classic shows/music. We found Toby's birthday present there. We spent as much time looking at stuff as we did eating our meal. It was a lot of fun, though I suppose that initial thrill might decrease with subsequent visits.

The Ratings:

Food 2/5

Value 5/5

Service 5/5

Atmosphere 5/5

Other 5/5

The food was not bad and since everything else was fantastic it definitely bears a couple of repeat visits. The menu is varied enough and cheap enough for a second and third chance. They serve breakfast all day so that might be worth a shot next time. Three bland meals though and I might be singing a different song.

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Pope breaks silence over Vatileaks scandal

Pope Benedict XVI gives his blessing during the weekly general audience in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 30, 2012. The Pontiff broke his silence over the scandal of leaked documents that has convulsed the Vatican, saying he was saddened by the betrayal but grateful to those aides who work faithfully and in silence to help him do his job. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

Pope Benedict XVI gives his blessing during the weekly general audience in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 30, 2012. The Pontiff broke his silence over the scandal of leaked documents that has convulsed the Vatican, saying he was saddened by the betrayal but grateful to those aides who work faithfully and in silence to help him do his job. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

Pope Benedict XVI gives his blessing during the weekly general audience in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 30, 2012. The Pontiff broke his silence over the scandal of leaked documents that has convulsed the Vatican, saying he was saddened by the betrayal but grateful to those aides who work faithfully and in silence to help him do his job. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives for his weekly audience in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

The St. Peter's Basilica dome is seen through the spy hole of Knights of Malta gardens in Rome, Monday, May 28, 2012. The Vatican's investigation into the source of leaked documents has yielded its first target with the arrest of the pope's butler, but the investigation is continuing into a scandal that has embarrassed the Holy See by revealing evidence of internal power struggles, intrigue and corruption in the highest levels of the Catholic Church governance. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

(AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI broke his silence Wednesday over the leaked documents scandal that has convulsed the Vatican, saying he was saddened by the betrayal but grateful to those aides who work faithfully and in silence to help him do his job.

Benedict made his first direct comments on the scandal in off-the-cuff remarks at the end of his weekly general audience. He lashed out at some of the media reports about the scandal, saying the "exaggerated" and "gratuitous" rumors had offered a false image of the Holy See.

The Italian media have been in a frenzy ever since the pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele, was arrested last week after Vatican investigators discovered papal documents in his Vatican City apartment. He remains in detention and has pledged to cooperate fully with the investigation.

Rumors have been flying in the press about possible cardinals implicated in the probe, pending resignations and details of the investigation that even Gabriele's lawyers say they haven't heard. The Vatican spokesman has spent much of his daily briefings in recent days shooting down the various reports.

The scandal represents one of the greatest breaches of trust and security for the Holy See in recent memory given that a significant number of documents from the pope's own desk were leaked to an investigative journalist. The Vatican has denounced the leaks as criminal and immoral and has opened a three-pronged investigation to get to the bottom of who was responsible.

"The events of recent days about the Curia and my collaborators have brought sadness in my heart," Benedict said at the end of his audience. But he added: "I want to renew my trust in and encouragement of my closest collaborators and all those who every day, with loyalty and a spirit of sacrifice and in silence, help me fulfill my ministry."

Few people think Gabriele worked alone, and his promise to cooperate with the investigation has fueled speculation that other might be arrested soon.

The motivations for the leaks remain unclear: Some commentators say they appear designed to discredit Benedict's No. 2, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. Others say they're aimed at undermining the Vatican's efforts to become more financially transparent. Still others say they aim to show the 85-year-old Benedict's weakness in running the church.

The scandal is playing out in a remarkable way, due in great part to the uniqueness of the institution in which it's occurring and the players involved.

Gabriele is an employee of the Holy See, a citizen and resident of the Vatican city state. He is being held by Vatican police who have accused him of stealing the pope's personal papers in a terrible breach of trust. His lawyers are Italian legal professionals, but they are communicating to the media via the Vatican spokesman ? a conflict of interest that the Rev. Federico Lombardi has acknowledged but tried to downplay by saying he was merely offering a service to release information to the media.

Lombardi refers to Gabriele as "Paolo" and has repeatedly expressed sadness for what has happened. At the same time, though, the Vatican undersecretary of state, Archbishop Angelo Becciu, lashed out at what he called an unprecedented, "brutal" attack on the pope that the leaks represent.

In an interview Tuesday with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Becciu said the stolen papers didn't just concern matters of internal church governance but represented the thoughts of people who in writing to the pope believed they were essentially speaking before God.

"It's not just that the pope's papers were stolen, but that people who turned to him as the vicar of Christ have had their consciences violated," Becciu was quoted as saying.

The scandal broke in January when Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi revealed letters from a former top Vatican administrator who begged the pope not to transfer him for having exposed alleged corruption that cost the Holy See millions of euros (dollars) in higher contract prices. The prelate, Monsignor Carlo Maria Vigano, is now the Vatican's U.S. ambassador.

The scandal widened over the following months with documents leaked to Italian journalists that laid bare power struggles inside the Vatican over its efforts to show greater financial transparency and comply with international norms to fight money laundering. There was even a leak of a memo claiming that Benedict would die this year.

The crisis reached a peak last weekend, when Nuzzi published an entire book based on a trove of new documentation, including personal correspondence to and from the pope and his private secretary, much of which paints Bertone in a negative light.

The Vatican has warned of legal action for those who stole, received and disseminated the documents. Nuzzi, who in 2009 published a book on leaked documents from the Vatican bank, has justified the publication as an act of transparency and says there's not a word against the pope or the church in the book.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Associated Press

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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Children's Health & Fitness ? Childhood Obesity: Who Is At Fault?

May 28th, 2012 by Len Saunders

From The Root?..

Tired of the ?Americans are over-weight? debate? Crunk Feminist Collective contributor Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts is, but not for the reasons you might think. Sparked by the HBO documentary Weight of the Nation, she would prefer that analysts of the country?s weight problems tackle the food industry responsible for knowingly peddling unhealthy food to children, instead of blaming parents.

I am ?waiting? for the nation to have a frank discussion about food production, labor, leisure, and human rights, but somehow the narrative is fixated on shaming parents into taking their children to the doctor and/or weight-loss programs to ?fix? their bodies. I was waiting for at least one explanation for why Tea, the eight-year old black girl, was bigger than her classmates and seemed to be developing early. I was waiting for a discussion about hormones in milk, eggs, and meat. I was waiting for some acknowledgement of genetically modified foods (food science). But no, the solutions were framed narrowly within single-issue policy-making for stronger regulations on marketing or food or for fitness programs. In the meantime, the solution is to visit obesity clinics and research centers, and don?t forget your health insurance card or your credit card because unless you have cold hard cash these ?card? industries stand to gain a lot in this weight crisis.

To read the full story?..Click here

Entry Filed under: Health / Fitness Articles

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Credit Card Debt | Discover Great Tips For Paying Off Credit Card Debt

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

If you have credit card debt, there are a few different options for paying it off.

If your balance is spread over several cards, consider transferring all your credit card debt onto one card. This can be your current card with the lowest rate, or if you have a good credit rating you could try and apply for a new card with 0% balance transfer rating, or one that advertises a low APR for the life of the card. Ensure that you apply for a large enough limit to cover your other cards, and bear in mind sometimes you can get cashback offers so take advantage of this and use it for an extra payment towards the credit card debt.

If you have credit card debt, there are a few different options for paying it off.In a similar light, you could apply for a debt consolidation loan. Debt consolidation loans often have lower interest rates than credit cards but are fixed-period and therefore do not have the flexibility of credit cards. Ensure that if you take out a loan for consolidation purposes that you do not simply run up the debt on the cards again, and be especially careful secured loans on your home ? these loans, often referred to as homeowner loans, are easier to get and usually have a low APR but these usually involve you giving your house deeds to the creditor ? if you default you will lose your house.

Both of the above solutions assume you can get more credit, and additional secured loans or credit cards will not have an impact on your credit rating as long as you do not default. If you have a poor credit rating or a high level of credit card debt with regards to income, you may not get a new credit card or a consolidation loan ? after all, the lender cannot guarantee that you will be using their money for that purpose. If this is the case, it?s time to look at other options ? sorting the debt out without further borrowing.

Is Your Credit Card Debt Getting You Down?

There are many companies that will set up debt management plans for you, contacting your creditors to get your payments down. You pay a fixed sum to the management company and they distribute it amongst your creditors appropriately. Some companies charge a monthly fee for this but there are a few who do not. You can also set up this kind of debt management plan yourself ? work out your incomings and outgoings and from this make payments offers to the credit card companies. It will have an impact on your credit file but not as much as insolvency will, and should you get a second job or a pay rise you can always offer more.

Lastly there is the possibility of extreme action such as Individual Voluntary Arrangements or bankruptcy. These are classed as ?Insolvency? and will have a major impact on your credit rating. This kind of arrangement is usually done via a specialist company or a solicitor and has to be approved by a court, and should only be used in extreme circumstances.

No credit card debt problem is so bad that it cannot be solved in some way. Hopefully one of the above solutions will be appropriate for your credit card debt problem and you can look forward to the day you have your credit card debt paid off.


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New Mexico fire forces evacuation near ghost town

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. ?

A wildfire in Gila National Forest burned through more timber and brush lands as it forced the evacuation of residents living near a privately owned ghost town in southwestern New Mexico, officials said.

Fueled by strong, erratic winds, the Whitewater-Baldy Complex fire burning through rugged and remote terrain grew Saturday to an estimated 100,000 acres, or more than 150 square miles. It was still 0 percent contained.

The evacuation of Mogollon, a privately owned ghost town, was ordered Saturday due to extreme wind.

Five helicopters and more than 600 firefighters from around the state were on hand to fight the blaze but still had to contend with "extreme conditions."

Cities, as far away as Albuquerque, remained under a health alert until Sunday afternoon due to smoke from the fire, which has spread across the state. State officials were warning residents during the Memorial Day weekend to limit outdoor activities, especially if smoke was visible.

The haze that blocked views of the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque on Friday appeared to have decreased by early Saturday afternoon, but smoke continued to hang over parts of the city.

Meanwhile on Saturday, crews in Colorado battled a wildfire that has scorched more than 3,000 acres of rugged canyon land near the Colorado-Utah border. U.S. Forest Service spokesman Steve Segin said the fire started Friday afternoon and is burning in a remote area near Paradox. It is not threatening any structures, and no injuries have been reported.

Shannon Borders, a spokeswoman for The Bureau of Land Management, said sheriff's deputies have evacuated the Buckeye Reservoir area, a popular recreation spot near the Utah border. The Rock Creek and Sinbad Valley areas also were evacuated.

In California, higher humidity and light winds were helping firefighters get ahead of a stubborn wildfire that has charred 4,100 acres of tinder-dry grass and brush in rural San Diego County.

The blaze near Shelter Valley was burning Saturday in steep, rocky terrain away from the town of Julian, said Thomas Shoots, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It was 65 percent contained.

No injuries or damage to structures were reported, and the fire was not moving toward any homes as it burned southeast on Saturday.

Arizona fire officials said a cold front arriving over the state late Friday was providing additional relief to firefighters battling the Gladiator Fire, a blaze that has charred 16,000 acres and is now 40 percent contained. Electricity has been restored to some areas.

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Fitness | Check Out This Great Advice To Help You Get In Shape.

Everyone wants (as what you will read more about health in this article) to get into shape but not everyone knows how to do it, this can be discouraging for the people who aren?t sure what to do to get into shape. The best way to go about getting into shape and being fit is to learn as much as you can and applying that knowledge, use this article as a place to get started.

See a physician before starting a new exercise plan, especially if you aren?t used to exercising. Discuss your general Health and any concerns you have about starting to exercise. If you have unknown Health problems you may do inappropriate exercises, or you may overdo it and cause injuries. As your fitness level increases you can do more intense and long lasting workouts.

Exercise to reduce illness and chronic disease. Exercising improves immune function, causes better heart health, lowers blood pressure, helps with the digestive functions and helps to better bone density. Those who exercise have a lowered risk of many chronic conditions such as obesity, heart disease, colon cancer, osteoporosis, and diabetes.

To improve your physical fitness, never resort to steroids or performance enhancers. These can have devastating effects on your body, and the results will typically be short term. Additionally, you will be damaging your health, which can lead to muscle tears and pulls. Lay off the steroids if you desire optimal fitness results.

Weight training is vital in a well-rounded fitness program. While not every program needs to concentrate on building muscle mass like a pro weightlifter, some attention to weight training is necessary for every fitness regimen. Weight training tones the muscles and makes them work efficiently. This has a positive impact on overall Health and fitness at even the most modest levels of weight training.

A great fitness tip that everyone should understand is to stay away from alcohol or at least limit your consumption to rare occasions. While a glass of red wine every now and then may be good for the heart, too much alcohol is terrible for one?s Health and should be avoided.

Check that a fitness club pays attention to a member?s Health conditions. When choosing the right fitness club, be sure that they have a good Health screening procedure in place. New members should always be screened for heart disease, and at least one member of staff should be CPR certified. There should also be an emergency response plan in place in case of illness or injury.

One basic tip for fitness is do not overtrain! Sometimes when you have a Health or fitness goal you want to achieve, it is tempting to push yourself to your fullest capacity, but this is not healthy. Set regular achievable goals for yourself and results will be well within your reach.

To overcome an aversion to exercise and improve your overall health, pick an activity that you love and just do it. If you hate running, then don?t do it, as you will likely not stick with doing something you don?t enjoy. However, if you enjoy biking, consider making it your workout and doing it at least 3 times a week, to start with. The important thing is to just get moving.

Always remember that with fitness, less is more. That means that when exercising frequency is usually more beneficial for your body than the total duration of time that you are working out. For example, doing five 30 minute workouts are going to be better for your Health and body than doing two 75 minute sessions. Overall smaller frequent workouts are going to be better for your body and mind as they won?t overtire or over-strain you.

If the idea of regularly working out at a gym or Health club leaves you with cold feet, look for recreational activities that are both, energizing and exciting. Rock climbing is becoming increasingly popular in gyms and fitness centers and offers an excellent workout for the muscles in your arms, legs and back.

Hopefully with all of the information you?ve learned from this article you can start forming strategies that work for you towards your fitness goals. If you think the strategies in this article can benefit someone you know don?t hesitate to share the information you learned, who knows one day they might do the same.

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Monday, May 28, 2012

Scenes from some SA Gaming Community Events

? May 28, 2012Posted in: News, Tournaments, Zombie Community

If you didn?t know that this past weekend was filled with all sorts of gaming goodness, you?ve obviously been living under a rock.? Or have not been reading Zombiegamer.

Strapping on my favourite (OK, only) camera, I ventured off to see what was happening at two of the events in Cape Town ? MainGaming?s Cape Town Launch Event at Tygervalley Centre and Cape Town Showdown?s, erm, showdown at GamerNet House in Bellville.

MainGaming have been operating in the Gauteng region since they kicked off operations in November of 2010 and in that time have handed out around R300 000 in prizes to the 15 000 attendees at their events.? This weekend marked the first weekend of a monthly six month stay at Tygervalley Centre in the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town and featured FIFA 12 on Saturday and Modern Warfare 3 Free-for-All on Sunday.? The two events saw around 80 competitors attend with the majority participating in the FIFA tournament.

Over their tenure at the shopping centre, MainGaming are expecting around R80 000 in prizes to be handed out with the events occuring on the last weekend of a month.? If you can?t wait until then, their will be another event at Canal Walk in around three weeks time.

Cape Town Showdown recently finished a successful Third Strike event at The Settlers High School and obviously decided that one can never be roundhouse kicked against the head enough in a month.? A small group of virtual combatants headed off to GamerNet House in Bellville to continue the brutality ? with a smile on their faces of course.? While GamerNet House is still being completed, anyone else keen to use the premises should drop Jeremi an email at jeremi@ultigence.com.

For more pictures from the MainGaming event, head to our Facebook Album.

Just remember good gamers of the community, these sort of events can only happen with support ? from both members of the community, the hard working organisers and the sponsors.? If you want to see more happening in your part of the country or even in your city ? get involved.? Sitting around because you?re too lazy to attend does not entitle you to complain later when these events cease to exist.

Related posts:

  1. SA Community Events in the Week Ahead
  2. Community Events in SA this long weekend
  3. Prototype 2 | SA Launch Events in Cape Town and JHB **UPDATE**
  4. Scenes from the Cape Town Zombie Walk 2011
  5. Prototype 2 | SA Launch Event Details ? Register Now

About Zombie Dredd

Wannabe gaming journalist. Wannabe zombie. And sometimes clan leader of OAP. Clint O'Shea when in his human disguise.

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Tom Coburn on the Debt 'Disease'

The Spectacle Blog

Sen. Tom Coburn, a doctor, utilized his medical expertise when he declared that "the country's sick" while discussing his new book, The Debt Bomb: A Bold Plan to Stop Washington from Bankrupting America at The Heritage Foundation's Bloggers Briefing on Tuesday.

His diagnosis? A dysfunctional political class right here in Washington.

More specifically, he lamented the absence of leadership in the current political arena, dominated instead by politicians who focus on the "symptoms" rather than the "real disease" and its "treatment options."

Coburn has at times been labeled a deficit hawk, but has also been a divisive figure on the right. Last year, he publicly butted heads with Grover Norquist and his anti-tax colleagues when he pushed for a plan to eliminate ethanol subsidies, which Norquist viewed as a gross violation of the advocacy group?s Taxpayer Protection Pledge, as the proposal did not offset the new government revenue with tax cuts elsewhere. Coburn argued that higher revenues are necessary to reduce the nation?s massive deficit.

"[T]here has to be some revenue component to [the tax structure], and anybody that says that?s not the case, I think they?re just wrong and they're not thinking about the long-term health of our country," Coburn had said then.

He described his new book, The Debt Bomb, as "a compilation of how we got where we are, conflict of interest in the average politician, and why they would vote for their next election rather than the best interest of the country."

As a three-time cancer survivor, Coburn is all too familiar with effective treatment options. His prescription for the nation?s debt crisis was a "very limited government," which he believed to be "the principle and the key behind our freedom." In order to attain this, Coburn called on the American citizens to demand action from their representatives.

Coburn expressed hope that "we will re-embrace [this] principle." For more on Coburn's commitment to principle, I heartily recommend this report by Andrew Ferguson.

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Sunday, May 27, 2012

QuinStreet Expands Education Operations to Serve ... - Reim School

May 27 2012

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FOSTER CITY, Calif. ? QuinStreet, Inc. , a leader in vertical marketing and media online, has opened operations in Sao Paulo, Brazil to serve education clients. This move recognizes the size and importance ?

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ABC-CLIO Wins SIIA CODiE Award for Best Education Reference Solution

World Religions Database earns prestigious industry recognition.San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 10, 2012 ABC-CLIO, an award-winning publisher of print and electronic library resources, today announced that the World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy database won an SIIA CODiE Award for Best Education Reference Solution. The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the ?

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Lawmakers call on DOJ to reopen investigation into Google Wi-Fi spying

IDG News Service - Two U.S. lawmakers have called on the U.S. Department of Justice to reopen its investigation into Google's snooping on Wi-Fi networks in 2010 after recent questions about the company's level of cooperation with federal inquiries.

Representatives Frank Pallone Jr., a New Jersey Democrat, and John Barrow, a Georgia Democrat, called on the DOJ to fully investigate Google's actions for potential violations of federal wiretapping laws. In light of a recently released U.S. Federal Communications Commission report on Wi-Fi snooping by Google Street View cars, the DOJ should take a new look at the company's actions, wrote the lawmakers, in a Thursday letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

The FCC report suggests the Wi-Fi snooping was a "deliberate, software-design decision," Pallone said in a press release.

"In light of the FCC report on Google Wi-Spy -- which revealed Google intentionally collected personal information from Americans -- I urge the Department of Justice to re-evaluate the Google Wi-Spy incident," Pallone said in a statement. "Privacy is a critical issue and neither Google's influence nor size absolves it from responsibility."

The DOJ and the FCC have already looked closely into the incident and found "no violation of law," a Google spokesman said in an email. "We have always been clear that the leaders of this project did not want or intend to use this payload data," the spokesman said. "Indeed, Google never used it in any of our products or services."

As Google tested its Street View service, the company's engineers decided it should use the Street View cars for wardriving, or scanning Wi-Fi networks, according to the FCC report, released by Google in April. The information would prove useful for creating maps of Wi-Fi hotspots, the report said.

However, one engineer also developed code for collecting Wi-Fi network payload data that he "thought might prove useful for other Google services," the FCC report said.

The letter by Pallone and Barrow suggests Google may have "misled" Congress and federal investigators about the Wi-Fi snooping.

"We are concerned that the facts uncovered by the FCC's investigation put Google's initial explanation of these events in question," they wrote.

While Google has called the snooping a mistake, the FCC report said Google's actions "resulted from a deliberate software-design decision of a Google employee who examined and evaluated the data that was collected and shared his findings with others at the company," the lawmakers wrote.

Grant Gross covers technology and telecom policy in the U.S. government for The IDG News Service. Follow Grant on Twitter at GrantGross. Grant's e-mail address is grant_gross@idg.com.

Reprinted with permission from IDG.net. Story copyright 2012 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

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Melbourne Dreaming: The Cross-cultural Collision Course (or why I ...

So the complicated relationship to which I have been alluding for about 8 months now has come crumbling to the ground.

This time, however, it was not the usual he's driving me crazy; he met someone else; we don't want the same things; he can't commit kind of relationship ending with which I have far too much some experience.

This time, the decision was taken out of my hands entirely; out of even his hands to a great extent. How can that be? Well, he was Indian. An only son. Which I have come to understand means that he comes as a package, closely bound with mum, dad and sister at the heart; extended family after that; and the wider Indian community beyond that.

He was lovely. Super lovely. Easy to be around, gentle-natured, funny and kind. Very cute. He'd been living in Melbourne for nearly 4 years; he had an accent but dressed like a local. I was wary at first about the age gap and the cultural difference, but that melted away soon enough as I spent more time with him and found him to be thoughtful and open-minded. I introduced him to my family, who welcomed him with open arms. We became closer after that, talking about everything and sharing our histories, marvelling at the many overlaps in our personalities and interests despite our very different upbringings. I still had concerns, especially after doing a bit of research online and coming across many forums detailing the stories of western women who had had their hearts broken by Indian men. Nervous about becoming one of those women, I asked him to tell his parents about me, and being a lovely bloke, he did.

I think it's fair to say that they freaked the f*ck out.

Not only was I not Indian, I was 5 years older than him. I might as well have been an eight-headed monster shooting laser beams from my eyes.

It was awful. We talked and cried and tried to break up and got back together and cried and talked some more. We decided we both cared enough about each other to try to stay together despite his parents extreme disapproval, deciding that he would talk with them more in the hope that they might come around.

A further four months down the track - four months of agonising, talking through various scenarios,? negative horoscope readings, and long-distance arguments with his parents culminating in a visit to Mumbai - it became apparent that they were not coming around, and that his continuing to be with me was causing a major rift in his family and he couldn't bear it anymore.

That was the end of us.

* * * * * * *


What have I taken away from this?

1. Cross cultural relationships are really difficult, sometimes impossibly so. I was naive; even after I became aware how common this scenario is, I was hopeful that we would somehow be exempt.

2. If you're thinking about dating a man from a traditional Indian background, meet his family first. They will be the ones who decide your fate.

3. And finally: be thankful to have been raised in an enlightened country where we take our freedom and independence for granted.

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Saturday, May 26, 2012

Contrasting Types and Materials of Home Eavestrough











No one can refute how much an eavestrough or rain gutter system plays a part in the condition of a house. Present day rain gutters have been developed specifically to fit home decor and the majority of commercially ready kinds come in notable components such as aluminum and vinyl. However, there are Toronto homes that use interesting and unique gutters that appear quite different from traditional products on the market.

Commercially available vinyls may come in different shapes, like U and K, and materials like galvanized steel, aluminum, and vinyl. The most significant function of these rain gutters would be to route runoff water from the roofing to protect against damage to the home as a result of stagnant water in the substrate. while most gutters today are utilized for their efficiency more than their design purposes, there are still homeowners that make design and uniqueness a main concern. The following are a handful of of the most unique rain gutters that you can still observe in modern-day Toronto houses:

Copper Rain Gutters

Eavesthrough gutters which appear in a yellow gloss are likely crafted from copper. While copper rain gutters are very costly to produce and set up, they are seldom seen in typical homes. Then again, copper gutters require hardly any maintenance and so are immune to decay; all they require are tailor-made sealants, and it would last for years.

Steel Systems

An excellent replacement for copper in creating eavestroughs is steel. Although there are tons of metal rain gutters available to property owners, these are typically made from galvanized steel or aluminum. Stainless steel gutters are rust-resistant and do not ought to be given something to preserve its shimmer. The only drawback is, like copper gutter systems, it is very costly to set up.

Box Gutters

Box gutters are heavy-duty eavestrough systems which are set up straight into the base of a roof rather than clinging from the sides, similar to most present day rain gutters are. A box eavestrough Toronto has are found in classic structures and properties, especially those that were constructed between the late 1800s to the early 1900s. This sort of gutters is utilized when prioritizing functionality over design.

Wood Gutters

Wood gutters, typically created from old growth cedar, are exceptionally hard to find. A Toronto eavestrough system produced from wood would generally be identified in older homes or restorations. Old growth cedar is quite resistant to deterioration, but it is very difficult to find, which makes it a pricey material for house gutter structures.

If you're utilizing systems like these, as well as present day rain gutter structures that nearly all houses have today, you should have numbers of Toronto roof repair firms on hand, in case of issues. For additional information, you can visit ehow.com/list_7563966_unique-types-gutters.html or usraingutter.com/different-gutter-systems.html.

If you have questions, please visit us at www.AlpineRoofing.ca for complete details and answers.

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Yahoo! Livestand for Apple iPad being killed

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Excerpt from: Yahoo! Livestand for Apple iPad being killed

Yahoo has announced that they are killing Yahoo! Livestand for iPad. The company said that this decision was taken as part of their consolidation strategy to focus on fewer products. Yahoo said: As announced during our most recent earnings call,......

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One-Third of Homeowners Underwater ? Re-Create The Dream

According to Zillow?s Negative Equity Report released today, approximately one-third of all homeowners with a mortgage are underwater. As dismal as that sounds, only one in ten mortgage holders are behind on their payments. We can hope that means that the majority of underwater homeowners can still afford their payments and plan to ride out the storm and wait for their equity to return.

Whether a homeowner should short sale their home usually depends on a few factors, including:

1. How much underwater are we? 2.4 million homeowers (15% of the underwater mortgages) owe more than twice what their home is worth.

2. How many years will it take to be able to sell with equity? Assuming a 3% average appreciation, some of our clients may have to wait 15 plus years to sell with equity.

3. Can we afford our current payment? And does our overall budget allow for other expenses, medical care, college savings, retirement, etc.?

4. How do expiring tax laws impact our decision? With the uncertainly surrounding whether or not the Mortgage Debt Relief Act will be extended, many homeowners who do not short sale this year may be prevented from doing so in the future do to taxes that would be paid on their forgiven mortgages. This ?Cancellation of Debt? can be taxable unless you qualify for an exemption.

5. How long do we plan on staying in this house? With growing families or plans for retirement on the horizon, many homeowners only plan on keeping their homes for another 3 ? 4 years. If they won?t have equity for an estimated 10 years, they may be handcuffing themselves to their house longer than they planned.

With historically low amounts of inventory and higher demand matching 2005 levels, we hope we are seeing the start of our recovery, followed by reasonable appreciation that does not outpace other?economic indicators.

Nancy Moeller, CPA, Real Estate Broker

Seven Gables Real Estate

License #01727426

www.TheMoellerTeam.com

Direct: 714 276-7006

Fax: 714 917-2293

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Tags: hamp, harp, housing report, short sales

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JOHN'S ISLAND Homes For Sale May, 2012 - Vero Beach Real Estate

by paul-kitchen on May 25, 2012

Find JOHN?S ISLAND Homes For Sale and JOHN?S ISLAND Home Values. We also have information on mortgages, insurance, movers and other VERO BEACH Real Estate Services for anyone looking to sell or buy a home in beautiful Indian River COUNTY Florida.

Paul Kitchen and Starfish Team provide clients, family and close friends with professional, honest and dependable service. A resident of VERO BEACH, Paul is extremely familiar with the local neighborhoods including JOHN?S ISLAND, school districts and the VERO BEACH Real Estate market in this beautiful Florida town.

Paul Kitchen
Broker-Owner
Starfish Real Estate
3221 Ocean Drive Vero Beach, FL 32963
(772) 539-8420
(800) 793-7304 toll free
VERO BEACH Real Estate
VERO BEACH Real Estate Blog

Starfish Real Estate

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Friday, May 25, 2012

Eurozone strains intensify as 'massive shock' looms

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Succession question fuels uncertainty in Oman

MUSCAT (Reuters) - Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said rules his perch on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes as an absolute monarch, without checks from a parliament or judiciary.

But at 71, he has not named a successor, and with much of the Arab world in turmoil, the lack of certainty surrounding the future leadership of the strategically placed country is becoming a cause for concern.

Nearly 42 years after overthrowing his father Sultan Taimur with British backing, Sultan Qaboos is credited with transforming Oman from an isolated backwater beset by poverty and insurgency into a stable welfare state with an exporting oil industry and modern infrastructure.

Where Taimur denied Omanis freedom of movement and education, Sultan Qaboos has been more palatable, both to his own people and to Western backers such as the United States and former colonial power Britain.

But without a clear successor, analysts and diplomats worry about royal family infighting, and a resurgence of tribal rivalries and political instability when a new ruler has to be chosen.

"There is a risk that you can have a split and quarrel in the ruling family. You could have the army supporting one group and the security (service) supporting the other and there could be a challenge to the successor, the possibility is there," said an Omani academic, who did not want be identified.

"It is a difficult situation and Omanis feel they are walking into the future without knowing their leader."

Political stability in Oman, currently one of the quietest corners of the Arab world, is important since it sits on the Strait of Hormuz, through which almost a fifth of oil traded worldwide passes, with Iran on the other side. Iran has threatened to close the narrow shipping channel if it is attacked by the United States and Israel.

After the Arab Spring sparked a rare expression of political and economic discontent on the streets, Sultan Qaboos spoke to the advisory councils - quasi-parliamentary bodies with limited legislative powers - about the importance of jobs for youth.

"Creating jobs must be the top priority," he said in November, wearing a black Arab cloak with golden embroidery and the red and blue turban of the ruling Al Said dynasty.

"We call on the private and public sectors to employ as many young people as possible to serve the development of our country."

The protests were contained with promises of jobs, pension and salary hikes and talk of increased powers for the advisory assemblies. The councils' advisory role has so far remained unchanged but 44,000 new government jobs were created last year.

FAMILY RULE

Oman has no political parties and questioning the Al Said family's right to rule is taboo. A leftist rebellion in south Oman during the 1970s, several leaders of which Sultan Qaboos long ago coopted into the system, is a distant memory.

Sultan Qaboos, a graduate of the Sandhurst military academy who served in Britain's army, has no brother or children and is divorced after a brief marriage. He is seen as in good health.

The ruling dynasty includes 50 to 60 male members who could be eligible to become sultan, but there is no clear candidate and no formal discussions have taken place.

Unlike in Saudi Arabia, there is no division of labor with other members of the family - Sultan Qaboos is prime minister and holds other key government portfolios including foreign affairs and defense.

"It is an unspoken agreement that we don't talk about it (succession) because once we do, there will be an immediate division and the power struggle will start right away," a senior family member told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Many in the country of 2.8 million fear conflict within the family or among key groups within the system when Sultan Qaboos is no longer master of the scene.

"Qaboos has united feuding tribes, reconciled sectarian differences, overcome a rebellion in the south and built the modern state in just a few decades," said a tribal sheikh from the mountainous interior of the Arabian peninsula state.

"He is accepted wholeheartedly, but we fear that the next sultan may not be acknowledged and the ghosts of the past will come back."

BASIC LAW RULES

Rules set out in a Basic Law say the royal family should choose a new sultan within three days of the position falling vacant.

If the royal family council fails to agree, a letter containing a name penned by Sultan Qaboos should be opened.

Those authorized to witness the opening and attest to its contents include a defense council of military and security officials, supreme court chiefs and heads of the two quasi-parliamentary advisory assemblies.

The rules are seen by analysts as an elaborate means of Sultan Qaboos securing his choice for successor without stirring the pot by making it public during his lifetime.

"We are not like the others, that we announce the successors for the nation," foreign minister Yusuf bin Alawi told Reuters. "What's written in the Basic Law is what is accepted by the traditions of this country and that is how we see the succession handled."

Critics say the process is risky: some royals could use it to corner the throne for their branch of the family, triggering infighting as they realize this could be their last chance in a free-for-all succession that won't last.

"Sooner or later this whole idea of anybody in the royal family (having a chance to rule) will change to father-to-son, and if they lose it now they lose it forever," the Omani academic said.

OMANIS DISCUSS SUCCESSORS

Oman observers say the sultan's three cousins - Assad, Shihab and Haitham bin Tariq al-Said - stand the best chance of taking over.

None of the three brothers would be likely to change Qaboos' policy of balancing the interests of neighbors Iran and Saudi Arabia with that of Western countries - offering Britain and the United States military facilities.

"Everybody in Oman knows about them but they do not know them in action," said J.E. Peterson, who worked as a historian of the Royal Armed Forces in Muscat until 1999 and is now an expert on Gulf affairs.

"They don't know a lot about their personalities and capabilities. And therefore they're a bit anxious."

Assad, 62, is seen as the frontrunner by some experts, partly because he may have the support of the military. Another Sandhurst graduate, he commanded the sultan's armed forces for many years and now serves as his personal representative. Shihab, 57, is a retired navy commander, while 55-year-old Haitham is a veteran minister of national heritage and culture who worked previously in the foreign ministry.

But their various business interests could work against them and favor another: 66-year-old Fahd bin Mahmood al-Said, a deputy prime minister since 1983 who attended France's Sorbonne university and is married to a Frenchwoman.

"What is affecting the three brothers a little negatively is that they are all involved in business. When you have a business interest, you have enemies," the academic said.

He said the businesses of the brothers range from real estate to tourism.

"Fahd does not have any business interests..." the academic said. "He's acting very much like a royal. When you talk to people, it comes up quite a bit."

Khalid al-Hinai, a royal watcher, said Fahd, who has handled top-level diplomacy for the sultan, was "the only eligible royal to have extensive government experience."

Others point to younger royals, usually citing Assad's son Taimur, who was born in 1980.

Some say that tribes could even favor reestablishing the Imamate, the former religious Ibadi state of the interior, which challenged the rule of sultans on the coast in the past.

"Oman has always been tribal and certain tribal leaders may take advantage of a power vacuum after Qaboos' death and re-establish the Imamate that the Busaidi family got rid of," said an Omani historian who did not want to be named.

Whoever next leads Oman will face pressing demands to create tens of thousands of private sector jobs as the recent social measures have stretched the budget and there is simmering resentment about the around 800,000 expatriates with jobs there.

The population has been growing at around 3 percent a year, oil reserves, which provide nearly 70 percent of budget revenues, are shrinking and unemployment - at 24.4 percent in 2010 - is rising, according to the International Monetary Fund.

"The country has a growing, young and educated population with insufficient employment opportunities," said Calvin Allen, Middle East expert at Shenandoah University in Virginia in the United States.

"This was one of the reasons for the unrest in Sohar last year and is the biggest challenge for both Sultan Qaboos and any successor."

A diplomatic source agreed unemployment was a pressing issue along with a lack of diversification in the economy away from oil.

"The succession issue is very important in terms of that broader agenda because it is a key component in the stability of the country, which is in turn key to the economic viability of the country going forward," the source said.

(Writing by Martin Dokoupil; Editing by Andrew Torchia, Andrew Hammond and Sonya Hepinstall)

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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Lebanese FM: Captives in Syria have been found

BEIRUT (AP) ? Lebanon's foreign minister said Wednesday that authorities have located 11 Lebanese Shiites kidnapped the previous day in Syria and that he expects they will be released soon.

Adnan Mansour said he had been in touch with a number of Arab officials and his Turkish counterpart to try to secure the captives' return to Lebanon.

"They will be released in the coming hours," Mansour said, according to Lebanon's state news agency. The report gave no further information on the captives' location or on who is holding them.

The kidnappings come at a time of deep tension in Lebanon over Syria. News of the abduction on Tuesday night set off protests in Beirut's southern suburbs, a Shiite area, where residents burned tires and blocked roads.

Syria's state news agency blamed rebels for the kidnapping. It said the Lebanese group was on its way home from a religious pilgrimage in Iran when rebels intercepted their vehicles and abducted the 11 men and their Syrian driver. Lebanese security officials confirmed the kidnapping.

The protests in Beirut quieted down when the leader of Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant group, urged calm in a TV address.

"This is strictly prohibited," Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said of the protests. "We will work day and night until these beloved people are with us."

Syria's uprising began in March 2011 with mostly peaceful calls for reform, but the government's brutal crackdown on dissent led many in the opposition to take up arms. The U.N. estimates more than 9,000 people have been killed as the conflict spirals toward civil war.

Lebanon and Syria share a complex web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries, which can quickly turn violent.

Earlier this month, the arrest of an outspoken Lebanese critic of Syrian led to gunbattles in the northern city of Tripoli that killed at least 8 people and injured many more.

World powers have pinned their hopes on a peace plan to end Syria's conflict brokered by international envoy Kofi Annan that calls for a cease-fire by all sides to allow for dialogue on a political solution.

But that plan is under strain. A cease-fire between government troops and rebels that was supposed to start last month has never really taken hold.

And the prospects for talks between the regime and those seeking to topple it appear as distant as every. President Bashar Assad's government has never acknowledged popular calls for reform in the country and dismisses the opposition as "armed terrorists."

For their part, opposition leader say the regime has killed too many civilians to play a role in the conflict's solution.

Late Tuesday, a U.N. team in Syria meant to monitor the cease-fire said it had brokered an exchange between forces loyal to Assad and opposition fighters seeking to topple his regime.

A U.N. statement said government forces released two detainees from the town of Khan Sheikhoun in northwest Syria in exchange for permission to retrieve a destroyed tank.

More than 250 U.N. observers are now based in cities around Syria.

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