ING says in talks to repay Dutch aid as soon as possible

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - ING Groep NV is in talks with the Dutch government and European Commission to repay the 4.5 billion euros ($5.84 billion) in aid as soon as possible, an executive said.

ING, which received a capital infusion of 10 billion euros ($12.87 billion) from the Dutch government after the 2008 financial crisis, has been selling its insurance and banking businesses from North America to Asia to raise funds.

"We are keen to pay the Dutch state as soon as possible," William Connelly, CEO of ING's commercial banking unit, told reporters in Singapore on Monday. "We are building up our capital to be able to do so."

"It is part of the very active discussion taking place between ING, the Dutch state and the Brussels' (European) commission."

ING has repaid the bulk of the state aid over the last few years, excluding the 4.5 billion euros.

The group is also breaking up its banking and insurance operations, and by 2015, it would only have a global banking business, Connelly said.

Last week, AIA Group Ltd agreed to buy ING's Malaysian insurance operations for $1.73 billion in cash, handing the Dutch financial services firm its first deal in a nine-month drive to sell off its Asian assets.

Connelly, who was in Singapore to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the bank's branch in the city-state, dismissed speculation that ING could sell its 31 percent stake in Thailand's TMB Bank PCL .

"The speculation arises because ING Bank and ING as a group has been the one of the most active participants in the M&A market, so therefore everyone... assumes we would be doing something in TMB? That is not necessarily the case."

($1 = 0.7712 euros)

(Reporting by Saeed Azhar; Editing by Ryan Woo)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ing-says-talks-repay-dutch-aid-soon-possible-092945999--sector.html

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Download Cell Phone Spy 1.7.9

Cell Phone Spy is an undetectable spy software which allows you to secretly record all activities (including GPS positions) of your Windows Mobile, Symbian OS, Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, Android or BlackBerry smartphone. Cell Phone Spy records every SMS and logs every call including phone numbers with durations. All the calls and SMS logs are uploaded to your online account. Cell Phone Spy starts at every boot of your phone, in complete stealth mode.

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Source: http://www.divx.ws/2012/10/cell-phone-spy-1-7-9/

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The Legal Infrastructure of Business: Trademark Protection or ...

Reading the ?Starbucks going after Starbarks? post reminded me of a similar situation I read about in the New York Times last fall. A Manhattan mother, Christy Prunier, started a line of skin care products targeted towards preteen girls, named after her daughter, Willa. Proctor & Gamble, the consumer products behometh, sent Ms. Prunier a cease and desist letter, saying Willa sounded too much like Wella, their own line of hair care products. The similar names, the company argued, would confuse customers and violate their Wella trademark.?

Instead of changing her company?s name, the Willa founder sued Proctor & Gamble. The New York Times published a lengthy piece on the trademark battle, generating national support for Willa, the ?underdog.? The small company spent over $750K in legal fees, and ultimately settled with Proctor & Gamble, with Willa retaining their brand name. Experts have argued that the only way for small companies to attempt to ward off large corporation is to take their battle to the media. Proctor & Gamble, like Starbucks, likely wanted to avoid any potential PR mishaps, and therefore elected settlement.

In 1961, the Polaroid Corp. v. Polarad Electronics Corp. court listed eight factors to consider in a case of trademark infringement.

• Strength of the mark
• Proximity of the goods
• Similarity of the marks
• Evidence of actual confusion
• Marketing channels used
• Type of goods and the degree of care likely to be exercised by the purchaser
• Defendant's intent in selecting the mark
• Likelihood of expansion of the product lines?

In both cases, Starbucks and Proctor & Gamble seem to have a strong case across many of these factors. The strength of Starbucks? trademark may be stronger than Wella, but the proximity of the goods is closer for Wella vs. Willa than Starbucks vs. Starbarks. Ultimately, these factors seem broad enough that most companies could put together a credible cease and desist letter to potential trademark infringers.

Small businesses have been concerned about ?trademark bullying? for years, arguing that large corporations have the time and resources available to litigate small businesses, sometimes putting them out of business. Congress recognized the potential for abuse, and in April 2011, the United States Patent and Trademark Office introduced a study on trademark bullying. They requested comments from small businesses for over four months, but the 79 comments did not confirm whether trademark bullying is a significant problem.

What I found interesting is that large corporations have a right and responsibility to aggressively defend their trademarks. The value and protection of a trademark fluctuates over the mark?s lifetime. If a mark becomes well known, the value strengthens, and the trademark is given greater protection, but the reverse is also true. In this Starbucks case, and many trademark infringement cases, the trademarked company argues that infringement will cause mark dilution. This is a strong argument, since they will eventually lose their trademark protection if the mark becomes too generic. Therefore, I agree with Jeff that Starbucks should move to protect their strong trademark. Companies only have to be guilty of confusion or ?similar? marks to qualify as infringing, and to the average consumer, a green circle with two stars around a black and white image invokes recognition of Starbucks.

It is important to consider enforcement when considering whether trademark monitoring crosses over to trademark bullying. In the case of Starbucks vs. Starbarks, I would think Starbarks changing their name and logo would pacify Starbucks. In other cases, such as Apple vs. Samsung, companies may require monetary relief. If a large corporation requires crippling settlement amounts from much smaller businesses, they may be guilty of trademark bullying. Cease and desist letters often result in mutual resolution of the potential infringement with little to no litigation. It is the responsibility of small businesses to respond appropriately and to be flexible if they want to avoid large legal fees like those incurred by Ms. Prunier.?

Ultimately, it does not appear that there is widespread abuse by trademark holders. Only 1.5% of trademark cases filed ever reach trial; most are settled out of court. However, cease and desist letters and settlement details are usually not made public, so it is hard to determine if small businesses are treated fairly. Most cease and desist letters are sent in good faith, and despite the PR implications of engaging with a small business, corporations have a responsibility to their customers and shareholders to defend and invest in their trademarks. ?

?

Sources:

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/a-start-up-takes-on-procter-gamble-over-a-name/

http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/03/defending-david-against-goliath/

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2011/10/17/procter-gamble-settles-with-startup.html

http://brandgeek.net/2011/10/05/wella-whoop-willa-tm-battle-skin-care-makers/

http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/notices/TrademarkLitigationStudy.pdf

Source: http://picker.typepad.com/legalinfrastructure/2012/10/trademark-protection-or-trademark-bullying.html

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'Gangnam Style' (and spoofs) hit 1.2 billion views

Gangnam Style, YouTube

By Sean Captain, Tech News Daily

Feel like you've been hearing "Gangnam Style" a lot lately? Say, 1.2 billion times? That's the number of online plays scored for either the original video, spoofs, mashups or other re-cuts of South Korean rapper PSY's surrealist hip-hop?ish video, according to analysis firm Visible Measures.

By now, "Gangnam Style" may have wiped out the memory of Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe," which, in all its permutations, has hit 998 million. That's despite Jepsen's song being out since March, whereas "Gangnam Style" first hit the Interwebs in July.

Only about a third of those "Gangnam Style" plays, 438 million, have been of the original video. The rest come from more than 600 user-created versions, according to Visible Measures.

?

That's a lot more than "Call Me Maybe" inspired ? probably because the crazy outfits, gyrations and dance ensembles of the Korean sensation permit more creative interpretations than did Jepsen's video, which mostly inspired incongruous lip syncing.

Some of the "Gangnam Style" YouTube clips earning a million or more views (sometimes far more) include "Gunman Style," "Gandalf Style," "Jewish Style," and "Klingon Style" (sung in actual Klingon). West Point cadets, a Cornell University flash mob and a mother-son team join in as well.

Videos span the range of technology, from Machinima choreography by manipulating characters in the game "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" to?this lovely 8-bit recreation.

More ?from Tech News Daily:

The Internet sensation PSY rocks a jam-packed plaza by performing his hit song and dance "Gangnam Style," and the TODAY anchors join in to show off their very own horse-riding moves.

Source: http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2012/10/13/14417702-gangnam-style-and-spoofs-hit-12-billion-views?lite

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Disadvantage Of Cloud Computing | Tech News

Cloud Computing technology is an advanced technology which uses internet and central remote?servers to maintain data and application. This technology allows consumers and businesses to use?application without installation. Through this you can access your personal data from any computer?with internet access over the server. Cloud Computing is a general term for anything that involves?delivering hosted services over the Internet. Yahoo email, Gmail, or Hotmail etc are the example of?Cloud Computing. This technology is broadly divided into three categories i.e. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The work is taken from?by the cloud symbol which is usually used to define Internet in flowcharts and diagrams.

Storing data over internet it good as your data will be safe if your computer will crash but along with?it cloud computing have few disadvantages.

• Cloud computing works online and if you are running any business over the internet then?you must be online all the time to serve the customers. Cloud computing is disadvantageous?as you will be offline when the server is offline. Your business will be totally depends on the?consistency of internet connection which suffer you a lot. If the internet connection is slow?not available then work will endanger.
• ?Security issue is quite important point of cloud computing. Is your data safe over the server?or not? It is analysed by cloud computing vendors that if the server will be attacked then?your data will also be attacked and you will lost it which is not the safest point of storing?data.
• In cloud computing application inflexibility is there. If your document is made in different?application then you cannot save on the server like Google docs.
• As mentioned above that your business will totally depend upon cloud computing?application, regarding this Anita Campbell said, ?Customer service for Web apps leaves a?lot to be desired. All too many cloud-based apps make it difficult to get customer service?promptly or at all. Sending an email and hoping for a response within 48 hours is not an?acceptable way for most of us to run a business?.

It is analysed that you can run small businesses on this technology as it is not difficult to handle. If?we talk about data storage then keep a copy of all your data along with you in external hard disc.?Now if you lost your data from the server by any attack no need to worry. You are safe!

HRMehrotra

Hi, I am Harshit Mehrotra and this my blog Hrmehrotra.Info I write mostly about technology, entertainment, online marketing, gadgets and etc.

You are welcome to write a Guest Post on this blog and share your stories with us.

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Source: http://www.hrmehrotra.info/tech-news/disadvantage-of-cloud-computing.html

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Hermes sac en cuir H017 Online Learning And Education

Online Learning And Education
Top 5 Ways Online Learning Can accessible Enhance Your Organization

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One of the biggest difficulties with hiring distant staff namely integration. It tin be very challenging apt integrate remote personnel with the rest of your troop Quite constantly workers are so distant namely flying them to a central orientation alternatively education impartial isn't affordable. With online knowledge staff integration namely snug because pedagogy plus instruction namely always done online. Distant personnel can learn online about anything from remote file arsenal apt criterion project workflows.

three Save Money On New Hire Costs

It is invaluable to hire employees. Often extra than 50% of namely employees anniversary salary. Typically this spend is deserving to the truth namely your best practiced team members must price a lot of period mentoring plus pedagogy instead of working. Moving all of your education plus learning online solves a lot of this because online education tin be done onward anyone anywhere.

four Stop Paying For One-Time Seminars

Is there a veteran salesperson namely you would love apt come chat apt your employees? Wouldn't it be excellent whether somebody embark members could come chat with your team

If always of your education plus education namely online it namely cozy to record fast teaching sessions and distribute them to your always organization and current hires. You can likewise utilize pre-created online knowledge matter with just a click of a mouse.

five Increase Cross-Selling Opportunities

Numerous huge business sales teams have hundreds of products is they are able apt sell apt any one consumer Unfortunately,many sales reps obtain into a groove plus understand a handful of products well plus stick apt those exclusively. This quite often manner that the salesperson namely lacking out aboard many cross-selling possibilities which can construct real value because your corporation With online wisdom you can accessible build on-demand courses apt train sales reps rapidly on other services so that they do never must educate on their own,Hermes sac cuir femme.

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Source: http://www.brainphysics.com/questions/anxiety/hermes-sac-en-cuir-h017-online-learning-and-education

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After beating Birds, Yankees look to tame Tigers

NEW YORK (AP) ? CC Sabathia boosted the New York Yankees past the Baltimore Orioles, ending a spellbinding six-week drama that drove and drained both teams.

New York advanced to an AL championship series matchup with Detroit, beating Baltimore 3-1 in Game 5 of their AL division series on Friday behind Sabathia's four-hitter.

Andy Pettitte, the career postseason leader with 19 wins, starts Game 1 for the Yankees on Saturday night with a rested bullpen behind him, opposed by Doug Fister. It's a rematch of last year's division series won by the Tigers in five games and provides a platform for Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, baseball's first Triple Crown winner in 45 years.

"I don't know if you can shut him down, but try to keep him from doing too much damage in the series, and that's key to us winning," Pettitte said.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi faces another big decision. After benching slumping Alex Rodriguez for Game 5 against the Orioles, will he insert him back at third base against a Detroit team with four right-handers in its starting rotation?

To get back to the ALCS for the first time in two years, the Yankees had to shake off Baltimore. The teams were separated by no more than a game from Sept. 3-24, the longest September stretch that tight between first- and second-place clubs since the 19th century.

The Yankees had some help from the right field umpire, just as they did against the Orioles in the 1996 ALCS ? hello, Jeffrey Maier.

With New York ahead 1-0 in the sixth, Nate McLouth's drive down the right-field line on a 3-1 pitch was called foul by the slimmest of margins.

Fieldin Culbreth demonstrably waved foul with both arms. Orioles manager Buck Showalter jogged onto the field to ask for a video review, and four umpires went down a tunnel on the third-base side to examine the images on a screen near their dressing room. When they ran back onto the field about two minutes later, they didn't make any signal ? meaning the original call stood. McLouth struck out on the next pitch, ending the inning.

"I saw it go to the right of the pole," Culbreth said. "There is netting there and it didn't touch the netting. It did not change direction," he added, indicating he did not think the ball grazed the pole.

Added crew chief Brian Gorman: "We saw the same thing on the replay. There was no evidence to overturn the decision."

McLouth wondered what the umps would decide.

"It started off fair and it was just hooking a little bit. I thought it was foul just in game speed," McLouth said. "A couple of people mentioned it might've ticked the pole, but he was way closer than I was and I was satisfied after they went down and looked at the replay that it was foul."

Steven Ellis, a fan from the Broad Channel section of Queens, caught the ball with his Yankee cap in the second deck.

"It was foul all the way, never hit the pole," he said.

Back in 1996, the 12-year-old Maier reached over the wall above right fielder Tony Tarasco and deflected Derek Jeter's fly ball. Umpire Richie Garcia called it a home run, which tied the score 4-all in the eighth inning, and the Yankees went on to win in the 11th.

"Just watching at home, I promise," Maier texted to The Associated Press after this play.

Sabathia went on to defeat the Orioles for the second time in six days, Raul Ibanez hit a go-ahead single in the fifth off Jason Hammel after former Baltimore high school star Mark Teixeira singled and swiped second in a rare steal. Diving second baseman Robert Andino just missed gloving Ibanez's hit.

Ichiro Suzuki added an RBI double off the right-center field wall in the sixth. Curtis Granderson boosted the lead to 3-0 with a second-deck solo homer against Troy Patton in the seventh.

Sabathia, who improved to 4-0 in his last eight postseason starts, didn't allow an extra-base hit. He struck out nine, walked two and matched his season high of 121 pitches.

"He didn't pitch all five, but it certainly felt like it, didn't it?" Showalter said.

Sabathia took a one-hit shutout into the eighth but allowed Matt Wieters' leadoff single and Manny Machado's walk. Mark Reynolds struck out, and Lew Ford ? starting at DH in place of Jim Thome ? hit an RBI single.

Andino hit a bouncer to the third-base side that Sabathia gloved, but Eric Chavez left third uncovered and Sabathia's throw to second was late, leaving the bases loaded. With David Robertson warming up in the New York bullpen, McLouth struck out on a changeup and Sabathia escaped when J.J. Hardy hit a slow three-hopper to shortstop that Jeter, playing on a sore left ankle, charged and gloved elegantly before throwing to first just in time.

Sabathia pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, finishing a 121-pitch effort as Wieters hit a comebacker. The Yankees ran out of their dugout to celebrate on the third-base side of the mound and the Orioles walked off slowly and somberly.

"It's been about as much fun as I have had in the big leagues watching how they play the game every day, the standard they held themselves to and the way they raised the bar in Baltimore with each other," said Showalter, who has not reached the LCS in 14 major league seasons.

New York won for the 12th time in 23 meetings between the teams in a matchup so close the Yankees outscored the Orioles 106-102. The teams were within one run of each other at the end of 46 of 52 innings in the division series. New York totaled just 16 runs in the five games and Baltimore 10, ending a dynamic six-week struggle. After 10 different nights in September, the rivals were tied for first.

"They are a very good club and they are a very resilient club," Girardi said. "People thought they were going to go away, they never went away."

NOTES: The crowd of 47,081 was the smallest in 18 postseason games at new Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009. ... New York is 11-3 in the ALCS. ... The 26 runs were the fewest in a five-game postseason series since St. Louis (12) and Arizona (10) combined for 22 runs in the 2001 NLDS.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/beating-birds-yankees-look-tame-tigers-085831048--mlb.html

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22 saved from sinking boat in San Francisco Bay

This image provided by KTVU-TV shows some of the 22 rescued passengers on the pier Friday Oct.12, 2012 in San Francisco. A U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said the wine-tasting boat, Neptune hit a shoal near Alcatraz Island and began sinking. Nearly two dozen people who were enjoying a boat ride on what's billed as San Francisco Bay's only "floating wine tasting room" are OK after their vessel hit a shoal near Alcatraz Island and started sinking Friday night. U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Lt. j.g. Josh Dykman says the 45-foot Neptune hit the shoal around 8:42 p.m. and started taking on water after the impact left a 1-foot gash in the side of the boat. The boat's captain tried to get it back to Pier 39, where the boat is docked, but the captain had difficulty navigating the vessel and it started sinking. Dykman says three Coast Guard boats took all 22 passengers and crewmembers off the vessel and brought them back to the pier. There were no injuries.(AP Photo/KTVU-TV)

This image provided by KTVU-TV shows some of the 22 rescued passengers on the pier Friday Oct.12, 2012 in San Francisco. A U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said the wine-tasting boat, Neptune hit a shoal near Alcatraz Island and began sinking. Nearly two dozen people who were enjoying a boat ride on what's billed as San Francisco Bay's only "floating wine tasting room" are OK after their vessel hit a shoal near Alcatraz Island and started sinking Friday night. U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Lt. j.g. Josh Dykman says the 45-foot Neptune hit the shoal around 8:42 p.m. and started taking on water after the impact left a 1-foot gash in the side of the boat. The boat's captain tried to get it back to Pier 39, where the boat is docked, but the captain had difficulty navigating the vessel and it started sinking. Dykman says three Coast Guard boats took all 22 passengers and crewmembers off the vessel and brought them back to the pier. There were no injuries.(AP Photo/KTVU-TV)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Nearly two dozen people who were enjoying a bachelor party on what's billed as San Francisco Bay's only "floating wine tasting room" are OK after their boat hit a shoal near Alcatraz Island and began sinking Friday night, officials said.

The 45-foot Neptune hit the shoal around 8:42 p.m. and started taking on water after the impact left a 1-foot gash in the side of the boat, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Lt. j.g. Josh Dykman said.

The boat's captain tried to steer the stricken vessel to San Francisco's Pier 39. But the boat started having rudder issues and began to sink about 300 feet from the pier, Dykman said.

Three Coast Guard boats took all 22 passengers and crewmembers off the vessel and brought them to the pier, Dykman said. San Francisco fire and San Francisco police boats also responded. There were no injuries.

"We were only in the boat for maybe about 20 minutes or so," Matthew Rice, the party's guest of honor, told KGO-TV. "We were coming around Alcatraz checking it out and all of a sudden it was like boom, just like a big jolt and the next thing we knew the Coast Guard boats came in and got us off."

The Neptune is a 1958 motor vessel operated by San Francisco Bay Boat Cruises LLC, which offers "specialty voyages" on San Francisco Bay, according to the company's website.

The boat is certified to carry 42 passengers, according to the company.

"It was just an unfortunate event," said Melissa McDowell, who operates the cruise boat as family-run business, along with her husband and adult daughter.

All three family members were on board at the time, and assisted the passengers off the boat, McDowell said.

The captain of the boat is the tiny company's only employee, McDowell said.

"Every one of our passengers were amazing," she said. "They followed instructions and were good humored about it."

The cause of the incident is under investigation. The damaged boat was towed to Sausalito Boat Works where it will be repaired. There were no reports of pollution, Dykman said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-10-13-Wine%20Tasting%20Boat-Rescue/id-dba88ec2ce104a488da97540f3c3f9af

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Direct Mail Postcards - Business 2 Community

Postcards are still one of the most effective and efficient methods of marketing available today. Even with all the digital sales and advertising going on,?direct mail postcards?still work and can enhance any digital marketing if used well.

One sales technique that has been in a state of decline is that of door-to-door sales. While this is an excellent way to be sure that you get your message in front of customers, the time it takes and the cost of materials makes it a less than ideal marketing method. Like telemarketing, door-to-door sales is a form of interruption marketing that forces consumers to pay attention. But this can come at a steep cost.

If you are the owner of a business, you may not have realized that direct mail postcards are an efficient form of marketing that can far out-perform door-to-door sales. There are plenty of different reasons as to why direct mail postcards are actually better for making sales than door-to-door selling. If you haven?t tried direct mail postcards, it might make sense to see how well they can work for you.

Affordable

Postcards are still very affordable. At a cost of only a few cents per postcard plus applicable mailing fees, it?s one of the easiest and least expensive ways to get your brand and message in front of the right customers at the right time. There are plenty of pre-designed postcards you can use to customize and then print with an online printer for very cheap, such as the?free postcard designs?on PrintPlace.com or the?postcard designs available from StockLayouts.com?at a reasonable cost.

Focused

You can very carefully focus your direct mail campaign to reach your perfectly ideal customer. Door-to-door sales tend to be all over the place in terms of the demographic advertised to. But you can select the ideal customers who tend to purchase more frequently than others and only send postcards to this group.

Less Intrusive

Door-to-door sales are incredibly intrusive. Postcards, on the other hand, still show up in the customers? hands, but the customer has the ability to read and research on their own time. For this reason alone, postcards may be much more suited to your business model.

Efficiency

With all these advantages in mind, the bottom line is that postcards can be far more efficient when it comes to dollars spent on a campaign. Because the cost has gotten so affordable and you can focus your marketing at such a tight audience, the response rate for direct mail postcards is much higher than with door-to-door sales.

Postcards Are Not the Magic Bullet for Everyone

While direct mail postcards are an excellent marketing tool, they?re not for everyone. There will always be a few kinds of products and services that require a door-to-door sales approach. So don?t think postcards can automagically replace sales for your products. Be smart, but consider the advantages postcards bring and try implementing a new campaign.

Effective Techniques for Marketing with Postcards

The first step to effectively marketing with your postcards is to create postcards that are visually appealing. Make sure that the content on the postcard gets straight to the point, makes sense, and includes a call to action. The postcards should also include your logo and other brand elements so that people will be able to connect the postcards with your business.

Instead of using postcards on their own, use them in conjunction with online marketing techniques. Create a campaign that includes email marketing, social media blasts, and printed postcards. On your postcards, include a QR code or URL that leads consumers to a landing page you have created specifically for that campaign. Of course, always include your website URL and possibly social media information on your postcards to help customers make that connection between your online and offline presence.

You can either mail postcards directly to customers, as mentioned before, but you can also market them out of the home, meaning you can place them in different stores, hotels, airports and other areas where tons of people frequent on a daily basis. You can also send them out to people based on specific demographics, such as location or relationships status, which would help you increase the chance of gaining new business.

If your door-to-door sales seems to be suffering, try starting with a small printed postcard campaign directed at a small group of targeted consumers. In conjunction with online marketing, direct mail postcards can be even more powerful, so also include online efforts for your campaign. Check your results of your test, see what worked and what didn?t, make changes, and try again. Before long, you may find that you have a highly effective marketing method that greatly out-performs the ancient practice of door-to-door sales.

Author: Tara Hornor???? Tara Hornor on the Web Tara Hornor on Facebook Tara Hornor on LinkedIn Tara Hornor on Google Plus

Tara Hornor writes for PrintPlace.com, an online printing company that offers services for brochures, business cards, marketing flyers, posters, postcards, custom booklets, and more printed marketing media. She has found her niche writing about marketing, advertising, branding, web and graphic design, and desktop publishing. In addition to? View?full?profile

Source: http://www.business2community.com/marketing/direct-mail-postcards-a-better-alternative-to-door-to-door-sales-0305717

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Getting Your Zzzzz's ? The Health Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep ...

I was talking with a friend recently who is worried her teenager is not getting enough sleep. She stays up late at night, then is tired and irritable in the morning. Sound familiar?

While the fatigue and irritability are troublesome, this particular teenager is also frequently sick or feeling sluggish, which results in poor attendance at school, slipping grades and lots of arguments at home. This situation is, unfortunately, far too common and not a good cycle.

In a recent study, researchers took 15 healthy men and put them through a sleep study to determine the positive and negative impact of sleep on the body. The men were asked to get eight hours of sleep each night for a week straight and then kept awake for 29 hours while researchers examined the side effects of sleep deprivation.

According to the study, ?after one to two days of no sleep, the body decreases its ability to properly metabolize glucose, the immune system stops working as well and the body's internal temperature begins to sink.?

Harvard Medical School's Division of Sleep Medicine?researchers are adding to the rising evidence that sleep has a direct benefit to our health and that a consistent lack of sleep can have a long term negative impact.

For example, Harvard?s sleep studies have found the following medical conditions to be influenced by the amount of sleep we get:

• Obesity
• Mood disorders
• Alcoholism
• Immune function,
• Diabetes
• Heart disease, and?
• Life expectancy. ?

In addition to these health issues, a lack of sleep or sleep disorders have been linked to children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, which is a condition that makes it difficult for children (and adults) to sit still, concentrate and focus for long periods of time. According to the National Sleep Foundation, there is evidence to suggest that getting more sleep could help children with this condition.

No matter what stage of life you are in, the research shows that getting enough sleep helps our mood, immune system, heart and overall health.

Make sleep a priority, not an afterthought.?

Source: http://coronado.patch.com/articles/dont-forget-to-get-your-zzzzzs-good-night-s-sleep-heath-benefits

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Demi Moore 'Not Psyched' Ashton Is Dating Mila Kunis

From Bali to N.Y.C., Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis seem so happy together! One person who isn't enjoying their globetrotting public love affair? Demi Moore, who is reportedly bitter over the fact that her almost-ex-husband (yes, they're still legally married!) has moved on to his That '70s Show costar.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/demi-moore-not-psyched-ashton-dating-mila/1-a-493410?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Ademi-moore-not-psyched-ashton-dating-mila-493410

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BlueMoon Scrapbooking: Family

A wonderful Fall layout from Julie Tucker-Wolek!

"I love creating layouts with Fall colors! Even though the photos I used aren't really 'Fall' -- I loved using them with Bo Bunny's Apple Cider collection!" ~~Julie

Products that Julie used on her layout:

Source: http://bluemoonscrapbooking.blogspot.com/2012/10/family.html

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Samsung Series 5 Slate reaches out and touches the FCC

Samsung has just days to go before the Series 5 Slate (and ATIV Smart PC) arrives hand-in-hand with the official launch of Windows 8, so we're surprised that it's been waiting so long to clear the usual regulatory hurdles in the US. Just in the nick of time, though, the 11-inch tablet has passed by the FCC for approval. There's no hidden surprises to go with the testing -- this is the regular Series 5 with Bluetooth and dual-band WiFi, but no visible NFC or the AT&T model's LTE. As such, we're more curious about when Samsung's Series 7 Slate and Series 5 Ultra Touch reach the FCC's doors. They'll likely arrive soon, but any significant delay could put them on the sidelines for Microsoft's big moment.

Filed under: Tablets, Samsung

Samsung Series 5 Slate reaches out and touches the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  FCC  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/nNFWa7vs6Zg/

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America's best neighborhoods for ethnic food

11 hrs.

David Farley , Travel + Leisure

At a boardwalk restaurant called Tatiana, mustached men sit downing bottles of Baltika beer while watching the bikini-clad beachgoers stroll by. If you?re imagining some Russian resort town, think again: this is?New York.?

Slideshow: See?the best neighborhoods for ethnic food

Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, is only about 15 miles from Manhattan but in style, cuisine and temperament, it?s thousands of miles away. A trip here or to another ethnic enclave is a great way to exercise your wanderlust without crossing oceans. You can broaden your comfort zone, buy souvenirs and products to cook at home, and sample new dishes. And you can do it affordably at casual, quirky restaurants and in cities you might not expect.?

?The way ethnic neighborhoods form has changed,? says Michael Soon Lee, author of "Cross-Cultural Selling for Dummies"?and founder of?EthnoConnect.com. ?People would immigrate through gateway cities of the major shipping lines like?San Francisco?and New York. Due to the difficulty and cost of transportation, most would stay in those areas for generations.? But with greater mobility and high-speed communications, immigrants are branching out.?

In the?Twin Cities, the Hmong (a Southeast Asian ethnic minority) have planted roots, as have Indians in?Houston?and Ethiopians in?D.C., where U Street gives off the aromas of spicy lamb stew,?injera?bread and brewing coffee. ?All it takes is for a few people from the same ethnicity to be treated with kindness, respect and understanding and then the word of mouth spreads,? says Soon Lee.?

That kind of open mind and sense of adventure helps when exploring these communities, which can be a little gritty and less accessible than touristy Little Italys. While some Chinatowns have also become kitschy shells of their former selves, in?Vegas, a vibrant community has sprung up around Spring Mountain Road; pull over at KJ Kitchen for fried noodles and Cantonese-style lobster. ??

Back in New York, the Lower East Side attracts a different sort of immigrant than those documented in its?Tenement Museum: people migrating to hip bars and restaurants. Pair cocktails there with vodka shots in Brighton Beach for a rounded-out city perspective.?

And try testing your culinary boundaries wherever you travel next, or in your own hometown. In?L.A., for instance, we?re highlighting Thai Town, but prominent local Mexican and Korean populations also do their part to serve up authentic ethnic food.?

More from Travel + Leisure?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/itineraries/americas-best-neighborhoods-ethnic-food-1C6289285

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9 Mistakes New Real Estate Investors Make | American Apartment ...

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by Bill Bronchick?
?
1. Not Knowing the Market Numbers

Knowing your market is as important as any other factor in real estate investing. This means having a neighborhood by neighborhood analysis of the supply curve and average days on market. Both of these data formulas can be found through the assistance of a real estate broker using the MLS.

2. Mistaken Value

Most new investors use Zillow, e-appraisal, or Trulia (or even worse, an average of the three) for determining the value of a property. This is fatal ? learn to do a ?comparable sales? analysis.

Get your own data, too. Relying on the listing broker to give you comps for properties is like asking the barber, ?How?s the haircut?? Learn to find your own comps using public data websites like Trulia.com.

3. Underestimating Repairs

If you have no experience in rehabbing homes, then you shouldn?t be estimating repairs yourself. Get at least 3 difference contractors to give you bids. Get these bids in writing, with detailed breakdowns of labor and materials.

4. Poor Choice of Contractor

A bad contract won?t have a license, will bill you by the hour, and/or won?t work by a written contract drawn by you. A good contractor agreement is essential, have a local attorney draw one up for you. Make sure you get signed lien releases every time you write a check.

5. Bad Contract

Most real estate courses have crappy contracts because they are not written by attorneys. My advice is to learn your local Realtor form and draw up a few addenda. An attorney can help you with this.

6. Wrong Legal Entity

Most investors form an LLC for their investing practices. Is this right? Maybe, maybe not. There any many tax issues involved in choosing an entity that should be review with a tax professional, NOT just an attorney (unless the attorney in question has tax knowledge, like me!).

7. No Marketing Plan

Most investors hire a real estate agent to find them deals and that?s it. There?s not enough good deals on the MLS to make a living on so you need a better plan to market to FSBOs, foreclosures, estates, divorces, and other sources of motivated sellers.

8. No Script

OK, so got a motivated seller on the phone and now what? Uh, uh, uh ? what questions do you ask? Have a written script you keep by the phone so you always know what to say.

9. No Business Plan

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. You?ve heard that before, but how many investors actually write a business plan? The truth is very few. Take some time to write a good, detailed business plan that you can follow as your goal.

That?s 9, but I can think of at least 100 more. Don?t make mistakes, get a mentor on your team to guide you through the process.

???
William Bronchick, CEO of Legalwiz Publications, is a Nationally-known attorney, author, entrepreneur and speaker. Mr. Bronchick has been practicing law and real estate since 1990, having been involved in over 600 transactions. He has appeared as a guest on numerous radio and television talk shows including CNBC Power Lunch. He has been featured in Who?s Who in American Business, Money Magazine, the Los Angeles Times and the Denver Business Journal. William Bronchick has served as President of the Colorado Association of Real Estate Investors since 1996.
?
This post provided by REIClub.com for creative real estate investors. Copyright 2002-2011 All Rights Reserved. Published with Permission of Author. No part of this publication may be copied or reprinted without the express written permission of the Author and/or REIClub.com.

With AAOA, landlords have resources at their fingertips. Check out our Landlord Forms page.

American Apartment Owners Association offers discounts on products and services for landlords related to your rental housing investment, including rental forms, tenant debt collection, tenant background checks, insurance and financing. Find out more at www.joinaaoa.org.

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Source: http://www.american-apartment-owners-association.org/blog/2012/10/11/9-mistakes-new-real-estate-investors-make/

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Phony version of Bad Piggies installs malware; 82,000 victims so far

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/phony-version-bad-piggies-installs-malware-82-000-025414144.html

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Remembering Why You Hired People ? Business Management ...

Why do you hire new employees? OK, this seems like an obvious question, and no, it isn?t a trick.

We hire people because we have assignments that need to be completed, sales to be made, and products to be created, manufactured, shipped and billed. We hire people to be productive; to get work done. Yet, that is too often not how we judge them. Too often, we judge them based on hours worked. Let me explain ?

A person seems to be at his desk every day when you arrive and is there most of the time when you leave. What is your first thought about this person? He's a hard worker, right? And if he puts in weekends when needed, you see him as dedicated, willing to go the extra mile and committed to his work, correct?

Both things may be true, but without another piece of information there is no way to be clear on these assessments. How much is he achieving? Is he getting the right things done with the right level of quality in a manner that meets the organization?s needs? Without the answers to these questions, you have no clue how successful, hardworking or dedicated that employee is.

Consider this situation: A person is at his desk early and late, but what you don?t know is that he's getting his work done in about half the day. He has figured out that people view him as hardworking if they are present, so he either glides through the work more slowly, or finishes and spends a lot of time reading, surfing the internet or doing other time-consuming, low-value activities. He realizes the weekend is a good time to get extra face time with the boss, so he makes sure he has a little work to do during that time to make it look like he's dedicated.

Or this situation: A person is struggling to get her work done. She doesn't really understand the goals and makes lots of mistakes. Because of this, she needs as much time as possible to complete her work ? so she comes early and often leaves late. She gets her work done, even if it sometimes takes the weekend to finish.

Aren?t all three of these scenarios potentially describing the same person? If you are judging based on hours worked, do you really have a clear picture about the relative success, competence and dedication of these people? Not so much.

Changing Our Viewpoint

How do we re-assess our mental model of employee success?

1. Change your personal perspective. Don?t let hours worked be your benchmark for just about anything. Focus on results and productivity.
2. Set clear expectations of what success is. What are the benchmarks for productivity and quality?? When will people know they are done with their work? If you want help with this process, consider reading more here: http://blog.kevineikenberry.com/communication/seven-steps-to-setting-clear-expectations/#
3. Measure, measure, measure. Once expectations are clear, we can measure progress and results.? Measuring will help you see who is coasting, who needs to be challenged, and who needs coaching.
4. Provide the bigger picture. When people see the bigger picture, they can put their work into context. This will lead to better decisions, more engagement and higher productivity.

These are just a few of the steps you can take, but it starts with you and how you choose to assess others. When you focus more on production and productivity than you do on time at work, you will be helping your organization ? and your team members ? more effectively.

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SpaceX launch good for NASA, not private firm

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A private rocket successfully sent a capsule full of cargo zipping toward the International Space Station in a first of its kind delivery for NASA, but couldn't deliver on job No. 2: putting a commercial satellite into the correct orbit.

One of nine engines on Space X company's Falcon 9 rocket failed Sunday 79 seconds after launch because of a pressure loss. The engine didn't explode, but it did start a series of events that meant another company's private satellite is not in the place it is needed.

The main mission for the Falcon launch ? delivering half a ton of science and food supplies toward the space station ? is still on track with a docking of the cargo-laden Dragon capsule scheduled for Wednesday. SpaceX on Monday said the ship's flight computer calculated a new path to the station for the capsule. It is the first of a dozen supply runs under a mega-contract with NASA.

"Falcon 9 did exactly what it was designed to do," the California based SpaceX said. "Like the Saturn V, which experienced engine loss on two flights, Falcon 9 is designed to handle an engine out situation and still complete its mission."

But not all of its mission.

The original plan was for Falcon to fire its second stage engines after Dragon left and then deploy an industrial communications satellite into orbit for Orbcomm of Dulles, Va.

Because this is a new resupply ship for the space station, NASA and its international partners had set detailed safety rules in advance for Falcon, even though the engine failure was far from the station. And those rules prevent SpaceX from firing its second stage engines, Orbcomm said in a statement.

The satellite is in a lower orbit and engineers are trying to figure out how to boost it, Orbcomm said.

This was the first of 18 satellites that Orbcomm had hired SpaceX to deliver. The satellites help in two-way communications for companies to track their heavy equipment across the world. The company wouldn't respond to questions about the cost of the satellite or launch services.

Harvard University astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who tracks launches worldwide, noticed the problem for hours before either company acknowledged that the satellite was in the wrong orbit. Even though SpaceX was congratulating itself after the launch, McDowell said: "We can't say that it was a perfect launch."

___

Online:

SpaceX: http://www.spacex.com/

Orbcomm: http://www.orbcomm.com/

___

Seth Borenstein can be followed at http://twitter.com/borenbears

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2012-10-08-Private%20Space/id-2b89c1618232470e809181e5b82a17df

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All Books Are E-Books Now. (And they have been for decades ...

By a TeleRead Contributor

What We Really Talk About When We Talk About E-Books

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By Paul StJohn Mackintosh

This post was inspired by a few of the recent complaints?posted to TeleRead about e-publishing standards, and by some of the other more Luddite anti-e-book comments?that have appeared here and elsewhere online. I think it?s worth reminding both e-book-pros and?the anti-e-book contingent that in fact all books have been e-books from the word go, for many years now.

What I mean is that almost all new publications since the mid-1980s have been laid out in software and digitized in at least some stage of their life cycle from manuscript to print.

There seems to be a myth among some anti-e-book diehards that somewhere in the publishing world there is still a loving process of manual typesetting and handcrafted design going on, to produce real solid physical books. Well, as a longtime editor for print, let me remind you that it just isn?t so. Perhaps at the most arcane end of the artist?s book world this may still survive, but everywhere else, what you are looking at when you open any page printed in the past two decades is digital text that has been transcribed back into physical print for distribution to you.

Manuscript gets digitized if it isn?t already. Then, it?s edited in Microsoft Word or other packages; poured into page layout software; designed onscreen and then set on film, to be printed often half a world away for cost reasons.

Anyone in publishing will be familiar with the term ?camera-ready copy? for print which is ready to go to press. Well, if this is all about cameras, where on earth does the old-style Caxton approach come in? All that has happened with the e-book revolution is that display technology and distribution mechanisms have finally caught up with the underlying products.

PageMaker debuted in 1985, and incidentally, gave Apple its first big push for wide adoption of the Macintosh (no relation, by the way). If books really couldn?t be read or distributed on electronic media, like, say, food, there wouldn?t be an e-book revolution. There is, because they have been e-books for years, but thanks to Amazon and the iPad, we have just woken up to that fact. And publishers who claim to defend the special qualities of print are engaging in special pleading, and perpetuating a myth that they know bears no relation to their own actual business.

Please note: I?m not saying this to devalue the words themselves. Just to try to get a little more clarity and honesty about what we?re really talking about as the medium in which we read them.

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About the Author: Paul StJohn Mackintosh is?a writer, journalist and former book editor, with two books of poetry?in print (neither of them e-books just yet, alas). Mackintosh is based in both Central Europe and Asia, and he blogs at?paulstjohnmackintosh.com.

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Source: http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/all-books-are-e-books-now-and-they-have-been-for-decades/

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George Michael cancels Australia tour, cites anxiety

LONDON (Reuters) - British singer George Michael has canceled his tour of Australia due to "major anxiety" brought on by his recent battle with severe pneumonia, he announced on his website.

The former Wham! frontman said that he would complete his Symphonica Tour dates in Britain in October before seeking treatment.

He had been due to open in Australia in Perth on November 10 before performing in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hunter Valley on December 1.

"I have ... announced the cancellation of the shows in Australia which breaks my heart," Michael said in a statement.

The 49-year-old "Careless Whisper" and "Faith" singer fell ill in Vienna last November and was treated under intensive care for a month for a life-threatening illness.

He was forced to postpone his tour but resumed it some 10 months later.

"Since last year's illness I have tried in vain to work my way through the trauma that the doctors who saved my life warned me I would experience," Michael said.

"They recommended complete rest ... but I'm afraid I believed (wrongly) that making music and getting out there to perform for the audiences that bring me such joy would be therapy enough in itself."

He said his return to the stage had brought him "great happiness" and that some of his recent performances were his best to date, but concluded:

"I was wrong to think I could work my way through the major anxiety that has plagued me since I left Austria last December.

"All that's left for me to do is apologize to my wonderful Australian fan base and to promise faithfully that as soon as I completed these shows here in the UK, I will receive the treatment which is so long overdue."

Tickets to his Australian concerts will be refunded.

Michael has sold an estimated 100 million records over his career, but he has hit headlines in recent years for his personal life more often than for his music.

In 1998 he was arrested in California for "engaging in a lewd act" in a public toilet and has had a string of run-ins with British police for possession of narcotics. He also served a term in jail for driving under the influence of cannabis.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/george-michael-cancels-australia-tour-cites-anxiety-072459280.html

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Son of China's Bo Xilai defends his father

BOSTON (Reuters) - The Harvard-educated son of disgraced Chinese political leader Bo Xilai defended his father against charges of taking bribes and having improper sexual relationships, saying he believed in his father's good character.

"Personally, it is hard for me to believe the allegations that were announced against my father, because they contradict everything I have come to know about him throughout my life," Bo Guagua said in a statement posted on the microblog site Tumblr.

"Although the policies my father enacted are open to debate, the father I know is upright in his beliefs and devoted to duty," he added. Bo confirmed the statement, posted on Saturday, with Reuters.

Since graduating from Harvard University in May with a master's degree in public policy, Guagua, 24, has kept a low profile, in contrast to reports earlier this year of a playboy lifestyle in the United States that created a firestorm on the Internet back in China.

The younger Bo's statement came a day after China's ruling Communist Party accused his father of abusing his power, taking huge bribes and other crimes.

Bo will be handed over for criminal investigation, state media reported on the latest phase in a scandal of murder and cover-ups that has shaken China's leadership. Bo had been seen as a strong contender to become a member of the powerful Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Political Bureau later this year.

Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, and his former police chief, Wang Lijun, have both been jailed over the scandal stemming from the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood in the southwestern city of Chongqing, where Bo was Communist Party chief.

At her trial on August 9, Gu admitted to poisoning Heywood last November.

Gu and Heywood got into a dispute over a soured real estate deal, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Gu said she believed Heywood threatened Guagua's personal safety.

"I suffered a mental breakdown after learning that my son was in jeopardy," Gu said, according to official accounts.

Last week's government statement carried by Xinhua said that in the murder scandal, Bo "abused his powers of office, committed serious errors and bears a major responsibility".

Bo has been expelled from the party as well as the elite decision-making Politburo and Central Committee.

ONLY CHILD

Guagua is the only child of Bo and Gu. Though his friends and acquaintances say he would like to challenge the negative perception of his parents more forcefully, Guagua has said very little publicly because he fears it could only make matters worse.

"He has always taught me to be my own person and to have concern for causes greater than ourselves," Guagua said in his statement. "I have tried to follow his advice. At this point, I expect the legal process to follow its normal course, and I will await the result."

This past summer Guagua traveled along the Maine coast and visited Westchester County in New York, according to friends and acquaintances. He has been somewhat isolated, though, as he takes stock of his uncertain future. Friends said Guagua has had little or no communication with his mother since March, shortly before she was accused of murder. Communication with his father has been intermittent at best, they said.

Several friends and acquaintances interviewed said they did not want their names used because they fear fallout from being associated with the biggest scandal in Chinese politics in more than two decades.

"The whole thing is just radioactive," one of Guagua's friends told Reuters. "He's under tremendous pressure."

In private, Guagua, who declined to comment for this story, has told friends his father did not flirt with the extremism exhibited by Mao Zedong during China's 1966-76 Cultural Revolution.

According to Guagua's accounts to friends, Bo Xilai encouraged the singing of so-called red songs, but only as a means to promote unity and morality in Chongqing, a sprawling municipal district of about 30 million people that is wracked with street crime and other forms of corruption.

Bo Xilai promoted the reading of Maoist poems, but he also referenced the works of Thomas Jefferson, friends said, relating conversations with Guagua.

In August, Guagua bristled at the suggestion that his father may have given him documents as a sort of insurance policy against his enemies in the Communist Party.

"My father has no need for any such things because he has always been aboveboard, regardless of how people who don't know him can speculate," he said in an email exchange with Reuters.

(Editing by Jackie Frank)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/son-chinas-bo-xilai-defends-father-193242417.html

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