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Most business owners can’t spend $30,000 on a commercial and they don’t know the editor of the LA Times which means they won’t land in the Sunday edition. with all of these challenges how can a business reach their prospects in a newsworthy fashion?

The news feed portion of Facebook is the equalizer for any business owner. big or small businesses have equal opportunity to make it into the newsfeed of users. with 100′s of millions of people checking their news feed daily it’s one of the MOST powerful places to get exposure. One of the most unique aspects is that you can into the news feed for FREE

Facebook wants to share valuable and newsworthy information with their community. In order to get into the news feed you will have to be different but it will cost you far less than launching a commercial. consider the following tips when you want to get into the news feed:

• Events - with the average user only getting 3 Event invites monthly these are a rare occurrence and as such are newsworthy Events are unique in that you can invite a specific group, leave it wide open to everyone, and give people an idea of what they can expect. You can host online events to add value to your network or even hold a physical event at your store or office location. Launching just 1 event monthly will differentiate you from your competition and can get you massive exposure in the news feed.
• Video - even with the ease of using video very few businesses are taking advantage of it for growing their sales. with an average of only 1 user per 1,000 uploading video very few people are sharing this type of media which makes it rare in the eyes of Facebook. consider sharing videos that are informative, show different ways to use your product, or even testimonials. try to avoid the pitch as your customers will just turn off when you sell to them too often.
• Be Different – Whether you want to share video, events, photos, status updates or something else the key to getting in the news feed is being different. Your business will stand out far above the crowd and get the attention of 1,000′s when you are different in what you share.

The field is leveling for business owners big and small. no longer will you have to have a mutli-million dollar marketing and advertising budget to get the attention of millions. You can get a piece of the gold of Facebook by sharing events, video and landing in the news feed.

How to Get Attention For Your Business by Using the Facebook News Feed – 3 Simple Methods of Action

It wasn’t a roadside bomb or a Taliban sniper that killed him. it was another sergeant — an Afghan soldier known as Sgt. Zabitollah, who like many Afghans went by one name.

It was a grim coincidence that brought these two sergeants together on may 6, a Sunday afternoon, at a mud-walled compound along a desolate stretch of road in a remote corner of Afghanistan.

Huling wasn’t even supposed to be there. he wasn’t scheduled to leave his base in Southern California until the fall, but he was called up early. Several other Marines in his bomb disposal unit had lost their lives already. They needed Huling to do the job.

In Afghanistan, Sgt. Zabitollah had just visited his family near Kabul.

Both men were married, in their 20s. both had drifted away from school and joined the military.

Huling took culinary courses at a community college. Sgt. Zabitollah made it to the ninth grade, then left his family farm for the Afghan army.

“Pretty much he was a good sergeant. we were not suspicious of him,” said Col. Narouz, who was Zabitollah’s battalion commander. “He was a great man. he used to work shoulder to shoulder with Marines.”

On the American side, Huling’s friends say he joined the bomb disposal unit because he wanted to make a difference.

“Those closest to him characterize him as honest, as a stand-up guy,” says Maj. Gen. mark Gurganus, who commands all Marines in Helmand. “He loved his wife dearly, because he talked about her all the time.

No Clear Answers

So far, no one has a clear answer for why the Afghan sergeant turned his AK-47 on Huling, shooting him in the stomach and killing him.

Zabitollah was quickly shot dead by the Americans. An investigation by Afghans and the Marines is under way.

What is certain is that these killings are on the rise. last year, 35 U.S. and NATO forces were killed by Afghans wearing Army or police uniforms.

This year, 22 American and coalition troops have been killed. Three of them have been killed in the past week alone.

“The threat within right now is worrying me,” says Lt. Col. Michael Styskal, who commands Marines in the central part of Helmand province. “And the Marines, they know what the threat is, not so much on the outside — there could be a threat on the inside.”

Styskal speaks from painful experience: one of his Marines was killed earlier this year by a man wearing an Afghan army uniform.

New Precautions

So American troops are taking precautions. Some are secretly wearing light armored vests under their uniforms whenever they meet with Afghan soldiers or police at their camps.

Now, whenever Afghans and American troops get together, one American is dubbed the “guardian angel” — with an M4 assault rifle at the ready.

For their part, the Afghan officers carefully question their soldiers and police when they return from leave. That’s when officials fear they may have been persuaded to support the Taliban.

Styskal says his gut tells him that about half the coalition deaths are from Taliban infiltrators.

“There is a threat of infiltration out there …. The Taliban have even publicly said we need to get into the [Afghan security forces] and stir up the mess,” he says.

The Taliban claim credit for all the deaths of coalition troops at the hands of Afghans in uniform.

Heat-Of-The-Moment Disputes

But a recent Pentagon report says most of those troops killed were not the result of Taliban penetrating Afghan security forces. instead, the report says, the majority are just personal disputes that get out of hand.

That may explain the circumstances surrounding Sgt. Huling’s death.

The head of the Afghan military in Helmand province, Gen. Muhammed Ali Shuja-e, thinks there may have been angry words between the two sergeants.

“Some sort of argument may have happened, so this was not totally clear,” he says.

Afghan officials say the Afghan forces were searching inside a compound, while the Marines set up security outside. Then, Zabitollah stepped out of the compound and walked toward Huling, who was down on one knee.

“The Marine called him and said don’t step out — maybe you’ll get shot by the enemy. The Marine yelled two or three times,” says Narouz, the Afghan battalion commander.

Suddenly, the Afghan sergeant turned and shot Huling. he later died at an American hospital.

Searching For Clues

Afterward, the Afghans found Zabitollah’s journal, which included his father’s phone number. An Afghan soldier called Zabitollah’s father.

“He said, ‘My son was a bright man, there was no connection between him and the Taliban.’ he didn’t accept the accident happened,” says Narouz.

Zabitollah’s body was returned to his family. his colonel admits they may never know the truth about why he killed Huling.

“Since he’s dead, I can’t interrogate him,” the Afghan colonel says.

Huling’s funeral was held in his small Ohio town on what would have been his 26th birthday. he was awarded a Purple Heart. And Gen. Gurganus is writing a letter to Huling’s wife, Priscilla.

“It’s really to offer condolences. And we share in the grief of this tragedy. my guarantee to her is we won’t forget him,” he says.

Gurganus and others say the Afghan commanders also share in the grief and are heartbroken by what happened.

But for many American troops, there’s only growing wariness about their Afghan partners. Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. to see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Copyright 2012 NPR – For Personal Use Only

An Afghan Shoots, A Marine Dies, Mistrust Grows

Daequan Cook proved to be the perfect substitute for the NBA’s top-scoring bench player.

Durant scored 32 points and Cook had all 19 of his points in the fourth quarter to rally the Thunder to a 118-110 win against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night in their first game since Harden took an elbow to the head.

Harden wasn’t able to pass league-mandated tests to allow him to return after the concussion he suffered when he was hit by the Los Angeles Lakers‘ Metta World Peace, formerly known as Ron Artest.

Cook broke out of a slump to help ease that pain, at least for one game.

“He’s a big factor on our bench. Not just our bench but our whole team,” Cook said. “The bench guys had to step up big.”

Cook started the fourth quarter with a jumper and a 3-pointer to erase a four-point deficit, and he went on to score Oklahoma City’s first 14 points of the period and put the Thunder ahead for the first time since the first quarter.

“Fortunately with James out, Daequan was that guy,” Durant said. “He was able come through for us and make some really big shots.”

The performance by Cook and the other backups was enough to convince coach Scott Brooks to leave his starters on the sideline in a game without much on the line.

The Thunder are locked into the no. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs but did ensure that they’ll finish ahead of Miami — the no. 2 team in the East — and would have home-court advantage if that star-studded NBA finals materializes.

DeMarcus Cousins led Sacramento with 32 points after finding out about 3 hours before game time that the league had rescinded his 13th technical foul and he wouldn’t have to serve a one-game suspension.

The Kings were without leading scorer Marcus Thornton for the third straight game with a left quad contusion, and reserve Terrence Williams was out sick.

Travis Outlaw moved into the starting lineup and scored a season-high 20 points, surpassing 10 for only the fourth time this season. Jason Thompson scored 22, Tyreke Evans had 18 and Isaiah Thomas 11 as all five Sacramento starters hit double figures.

The youthful Kings will try to avoid finishing the season with the West’s worst record when they host the Lakers on Thursday night.

“You can see upside but it’s not much that you want to talk about,” Thompson said. “You want to be about it.”

Durant extended his lead in a tight NBA scoring race with the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter. Durant, who moved into the lead Sunday, is averaging 27.97 points per game to Bryant’s 27.86 with each having one game left.

“Hopefully it’s a fun one. That’s what the fans want to see, I guess,” Durant said. “But for me as a player, all I’m worried about is getting better.”

Bryant will get the last chance to move ahead, playing a night after Oklahoma City’s regular-season finale Wednesday night against Denver.

“I don’t care about that,” Bryant said. “If I did, I would have went for 50 (last week) in San Antonio. they were playing me straight-up in single coverage.”

Sacramento made 18 of its 22 shots (82 percent) in the first quarter and then scored 10 of the first 12 points in the second to go up 50-37. Oklahoma City closed to within 59-57 by halftime, only to give up a 10-0 run in the third that pushed the lead back out to 13.

Royal Ivey put Oklahoma City ahead to stay with a long jumper from the left side with 3 minutes left, and Cook’s 3-pointer in transition extended the lead to 114-107 with 44.9 seconds left. Cole Aldrich hit all four of his free throws to close it out.

Cook had made only 11 of 37 shots (30 percent) since returning from a sprained right knee earlier this month.

“DC is a terrific shooter but he has to continue to believe in that shot and keep shooting it,” Brooks said. “I thought the last five or six games when he missed a shot, he kind of got down on himself and was concerned about the next one. if you do that, you can never make the next shot.”

Cook said he still wasn’t completely healthy and then was asked what percentage he’s playing at right now.

“I couldn’t tell you,” he said. “But after tonight, I feel a little better.”

Game notes Sacramento’s first-quarter shooting barrage was the fourth-best in the NBA this season, according to STATS LLC. Indiana went 14 for 16 (88 percent) in the first quarter against Washington on April 4. Denver shot 84 percent against Detroit on March 21 and Miami shot 82 percent against Milwaukee on Feb. 1. … The Kings haven’t won consecutive games since a three-game streak ended on March 20. … Oklahoma City is 3-0 without Harden, who averages 16.8 points — tops among NBA reserves.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The associated Press

Sacramento Kings vs. Oklahoma City Thunder – Recap – April 24, 2012 – ESPN

Have you considered a goodwill car donation? If your vehicle is old, you aren’t likely to get much for it on a trade-in anyway – even though most car dealers will fool you into thinking that you will. If you don’t trade it in, you have 3 further options:

1. Attempt to sell it by yourself. the drawback to this is now you need to get it working and or looking good. and regardless of how much trouble this may or may not be, now you must advertise as well as go through the hassle of actually selling it.

2. Keep it for an extra vehicle for those times when you may need it. but now you’ll need to pay for the extra insurance coverage along with maintenance, licenses and fees every year. these expenses are now extra, because now you have to also pay for your new vehicle at the same time.

3. the third alternative would be to give your car to a charitable organization a goodwill auto donation is actually a great way to make space for your new vehicle while doing something good for folks less fortunate than you.

Let’s answer a few questions you probably have regarding donating your car to a charity:

Q: will my vehicle need to be operating as well as in good condition to be donated?

There are going to be some charities that need your car or truck to be in running condition when it is donated. Typically this is because they intend to provide the car to some family in need. but in most cases, they do not care if the car is running or if it is a heap of junk sitting in your front yard rusting away; they’ll have it towed and sell it to a salvage yard.

The cars and trucks that require minimal repairs may get restored and then sold or offered to households in need of assistance.

Q: Is it better to sell my old car – from a personal financial standpoint – or are car donations more beneficial to me?

This can be a tricky question. Naturally it is better for both the charity and people that may benefit from your car through the charity, if you can afford to donate your car or truck. many people, however, need the money that their car might provide them from a trade-in, and others simply want the money – even if they don’t really need it.

A good guideline is to find the Kelly Blue Book value of your car or truck. If it’s lower than a thousand dollars, you should not waste your time trading it in or selling it. because it will mean a great deal more to some charity compared to the tiny amount of money you could potentially receive.

One suggestion maybe you have not considered: Sell your used car and split the money with your charity. this would be perfect if your selected charity does not take vehicle donations, because ALL charities can use cash.

Q: Are there different goods I could contribute aside from vehicles?

Almost everything which has value or can be sold for almost any amount of money, will be accepted by most charities. Lawn mowers, ATVs (all terrain vehicles) watercraft, airplanes – there’s a charitable organization which will take them. and they understand how to squeeze as much money from them for their charitable causes as possible.

Some non profit organizations, like the Salvation Army, will accept clothing, household furniture, books – anything that you might find in a yardsale. but needless to say, you can always donate money. this eliminates all the charities’ complications associated with trying to transform old yard sale junk into money.

Q: Where can I find out more information regarding goodwill auto donations?

There are a number of established car donation charities that are not only legitimate, but make it simple for you to donate your old car or truck. You can call 1-800-Charity-Cars to find neighborhood charities in your town that take old cars. You could also search the web. There are tons of web sites dedicated to vehicle donations.

Several online vehicle donation web sites offer you bonuses for your donation, such as Disney Park passes. this is in addition to the standard tax breaks which you are eligible for. a goodwill automobile donation will get your old auto into the hands of someone who is genuinely in need of assistance. so go ahead and do the right thing: Help somebody less fortunate than yourself while getting a tax deduction – and getting rid of that old vehicle

Goodwill Car Donations – Getting a Tax Break Doing a Good Thing

Shemar Moore wowed female admirers earlier today when he whipped off his shirt at Cannes Film Festival.

The Criminal Minds actor is among a hoard of celebrities who flock to France every year to attend the prestigious award ceremonies – and their not-to-be-missed parties. Shemar was spotted on a yacht and decided to take in the beautiful sunny weather by going topless to reveal his ripped abs.

Shemar seems to be more comfortable without a shirt these days, as in the last couple of weeks, he has been frequently spotted on Miami Beach frolicking half-naked.

He was even seen getting up to suspicious behaviour with his girlfriend in the sea, instantly dashing the hopes of his female admirers watching from the beach.

Are you bored of seeing Shemar’s body yet? We’re not! Check out the fresh snaps below.

Shemar Moore whips shirt off at Cannes Film Festival… Tags:

PHOTOS: Shemar Moore Whips Shirt Off At Cannes Film Festival

The 20-minute-long session, produced by Alli Michigan Ghost-Hunters and uploaded to the team’s Facebook page, features claims of disembodied voices, shadows “staring” at investigators, flying cereal boxes and “misty” figures.

The webisode centers on the Oct. 8 investigation of an unidentified home in Saginaw along with the mother and daughter who live there and a son who visits.

“I’ve been at the house overnight,” said the son, identified only as “Miguel.” “It sounds like somebody’s knocking on the door. Nobody is at the door.”

Miguel describes how he’s also witnessed a bag of cereal “thrown around a couple times” and heard bottles “fly off (the shelves) once in a while.”

The mother living at the house, identified as “Maria,” claims she’s had bedsheets pulled away from her, followed by the feeling of having her legs tugged on.

The daughter, known as “Stephanie,” talks about a “cold presence” in the kitchen and a “misty figure” she encountered once when emerging from the bathroom.

“When I looked again, it was gone,” she said.

The investigators later claim to record several disembodied voices, which are featured in the webisode.

After analyzing the evidence, they claim to hear a voice say “Miguel.” Later, the investigators claim recordings pick up a voice saying “glass” and another saying “yeah.”

The investigators, by the probe’s end, say the house produced enough evidence to warrant a follow-up investigation.

What do you think? Watch the webisode below and participate in a poll: do you think the house is haunted? Return to MLive on Friday to see the results.

Ghosts or no ghosts? Watch video of team investigating Saginaw home for paranormal activity

The story begins during World War I with Chaplin portraying a bumbling Jewish private in the fictional nation of Tomania. during a rescue attempt the plane he is on crashes resulting in his spending the next 20 years in a hospital, and suffering from amnesia.

Meanwhile, Adenoid Hynkel (Hitler?) has become the merciless dictator of Tomainia and with two of his equally evil ministers, Garbitsch (Goebbels?) and Herring (Goring?), begins a ruthless oppression of all Jews. Having been recognized as a Jew, the privates barber’s shop is visited by storm troopers who include Schultz, the pilot who also went down in the airplane crash twenty years before. the sight of Schultz helps to restore the barbers lost memory. Remembering the Jewish barber, Schultz orders the storm troopers to leave the barber alone. This action leads to both Schultz and the barber being sent to a concentration camp.

Wearing Tomanian uniforms, the barber who happens to be nearly an exact double of Hynkel, and Schultz escape with the barber assuming Hynkel’s identity. the real Hynkel proceeds to invade the neighboring country of Osterlich. In the process, he is mistaken for the barber while the barber is mistaken to be Hynkel himself. After the successful invasion of the country, the barber (as Hynkel) is invited to deliver a victory speech.

This victory speech is one of the most famous scenes in the film. Motivated by the Nazi’s violence and repression of Jews during the late 1930′s, the speech delivered by Chaplin condemns the acts against the Jews and calls for equality and brotherhood among humans. the speech continues to reverse all of Hynkel’s anti-Semitic positions with a call for democracy, urging everyone to work together in harmony.

The film is known as being ‘courageous,’ coming at a time when Hitler was seen as a grave danger by the world. for today’s audience, The Great Dictator is a shining example of bringing together comedy and tragedy while conveying a powerful message.

The Great Dictator – A Hollywood Wartime Classic

Who are those who have died in all of our wars? most of them were not soldiers born and bred to do battle. they were husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. they left behind families filled with grief. they were the promise of a tomorrow that never came. they were the flowers that never bloomed. one wonders what might they have been accomplished had they lived. What might have been their impact on society had they not died.

It might have been possible that one of them could have found a cure for cancer, except that he/she died a victim of this moral cancer called war. one might have composed a melody so beautiful that it would have moved the world, except that he/she died to blare of taps and the beat of earth being shoveled on his/her casket. one might have painted a picture, or written a poem, or discovered an answer, or learned a truth, except that he/she ended up in a mess of dirt and blood. one of them might have found the pathway to peace, except that he/she died along the road of war.

Why did they die? they died because people are weak, untutored and unwise; because humanity with all its boastful progress has not yet learned to live.
Memorial Day may not be a time to search for answers, but it is day to speak the truth. The truth is this: Memorial Day is a monument that we have built to grief. It is a monument to folly. Those who died were victims. they were the unnecessary sacrifices that we offered on the altar of the god of war.

Let us not destroy the day nor dishonor the dead with pious tributes that hide behind the basic truth. let us not shift the guilt to some nameless or faceless enemy. The names of friends and foes are many, and they keep changing throughout history. There were those who were enemies in the past and have become our friends, and there are those who were our friends in the past and have now become our enemies.

Is it possible that we can find the path to peace? is it too much to ask, too great a promise to keep? is it an impossible dream?
If we cannot believe that peace is possible, then we are condemning future generations of young men and women to death.

But peace is a real goal, and peace is possible. We need to believe that those whom we memorialize have not died in vain. We need to have faith that the day will come, be it in our time, in a future generation’s time, when people will live in peace. There will come a day in the future, when people will look upon our age and be horrified. they will say of us in disbelief, Did men and women kill each other in those days?

What we as a humanity have done cannot be changed. It is done, and this is our monument to grief.

However, there is another side to the monument.
Memorial Day is also a monument of hope. The future is there before us. As we find ourselves involved in the fight against terrorism, the hope for peace is still a distance away. The shape of a peaceful future is not yet shaped. but we can shape it, if we face it and lean forward and declare again and again and again that there will be a day when we will beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks. There will be a day when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore. If we do not give up in despair, there will be such a day.

Let this be our faith and our pledge. Out of our grief, let this be our promise to the past and for the future, when we shall join together with all of humanity to shape tomorrow so that the time will come when we not need add to the list on Memorial Day.

Memorial Day – A Monument To Grief And Hope

One 11 page mortgage was recorded on 9-23-04 for a two family dwelling, located at 243 51st Street, Brooklyn in the amount of $300,000. another property transaction for 845 Dean Street, Brooklyn was recorded on 5-25-04 in the amount of $150,000 at an unbelievable 14% interest rate considering rates were at a forty year low. The senior mortgagee (holder) is Howard Stern and the junior holder is New way Realty Corp. better known, in my opinion, as loan shark one and two. If you think that’s scary, you should read the actual 10 page document.

This information and other similar types are available to you for free. You just have to know how to get it by a name, address, parcel number, even street intersections. it is easily accessible.

You can find out about divorces, liens, marriages, wills, transfers, judgements, deeds, releases and many fascinating things such as hundreds of years old documents in beautiful handwriting and language together with a wax seal. this is one way people or mortgage companies buy loans from each other, usually not even alerting the borrower until after the fact.

Howard Stern is Hot in Real Estate

Credit: Virginia Sherwood/NBC.

“America’s Got Talent” kicked off its seventh season Monday night with new judge Howard Stern taking his seat alongside Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel, who both returned as judges on the NBC competition series. Nick Cannon is also back as the show’s host.  Singers, dancers, magicians and other acts are once again competing for a $1 million grand prize. Entertainers from audition rounds in Los Angeles and St. Louis were showcased on Monday’s show.

Here’s a summary of the most entertaining acts of the evening:

Artist William Close presented and played what he called “the world’s biggest musical instrument.”  his “Earth Harp” featured 3,000 feet of steel, which meant that William essentially turned the theater into a huge instrument. Howard Stern called him “an original.” William advances.

The Elements Dance Crew took clog dancing to a new level. Their style, enthusiasm and precision guaranteed three thumbs-up from the judges. They easily advanced to the Las Vegas rounds.

Cute 7-year-old Alexa did a double act with her dad Jorge, who sang and accompanied his daughter on guitar. They provided the show’s most touching moment when they sang their take on the Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros song “Home.”

The Light Wire Theater Company combined puppetry and dance with neon figures that glowed and moved in the dark. They received a resounding “yes” from the judges and advanced to Las Vegas.

A fierce troupe called the Loyalty Dance Crew busted their moves on the stage with conviction and got a standing ovation from the audience. Although they are just friends, they have a family attitude which, along with their talent, won the judges over. They move on to the Las Vegas rounds.

A singer called Simply Sergio almost blew it with a cheesy song-and-dance rendition of “the Girl from Ipanema.” he was reluctantly given a second chance by the judges and sang “God Bless America.” he brought down the house and advanced to the next stage of the contest.

Eighteen-year-old Chanice was joined by her father Maurice, as the street-performer duo sang an emotional version of Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend.” They provided the highlight of the auditions so far, according to the judges. They made it through to Las Vegas.

Other acts advancing to Las Vegas include Ben Black, a sharp-shooting crossbow act,  a man who puts scorpions in his mouth, a ventriloquist who places a puppet mouth over a live dog, and a pair of dance-acrobats called Stick & Move.

Contestants who were failed to make the cut included Miss Les, a woman who sang while covered with live birds, and Aoni Jackson, a stripping magician who Stern said had “a rather small package.” Sanjuka, a circus side-show act, also failed to advance after he turned the judges off by sticking skewers into his cheeks.

NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” airs again today at 8 p.m. ET.

‘America’s Got Talent’ Gets Feisty With Howard Stern