"Wazzock": British media hammer Romney on Olympic comments

(Charles Dharapak/AP)

LONDON?On day three of his overseas tour, Mitt Romney woke up to unfriendly headlines from the British media, who continue to trash him for telling NBC News that he found preparations for the Olympics here "disconcerting."

"Mitt the Twit," declared The Sun tabloid, trashing Romney as a "wannabe president."

The Independent headlined their take on Romney's trip, "Romneyshambles"?accusing him of not only committing a diplomatic gaffe but later "the cardinal sin of U.S. politics, flip-flopping" on his criticism.

The Daily Telegraph suggested Romney's "Olympic gaffe" had overshadowed his trip to London.

Meanwhile, the conservative Daily Mail slammed Romney as "devoid of charm, offensive and a wazzock."

Romney's comments led newscasts on both Sky News and the BBC on Thursday night and early Friday morning, just hours ahead of the Olympic opening ceremonies here.

"Is this guy really prepared to be president?" one Sky News reporter asked in his Thursday night report about Romney's day in London. The reporter trashed the GOP candidate's comments as "just daft."

Romney has repeatedly tried to dial back on his criticism, first in a news conference Thursday outside 10 Downing Street, where he had met with British Prime Minister David Cameron?who had been publicly critical of Romney's remarks earlier in the day.

[Get more updates from Romney's overseas trip by following @hollybdc on Twitter]

In an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan Thursday night, Romney again tried to contain the controversy, telling the CNN host he believes the London games will be successful.

"It's great. It's absolutely fabulous," Romney said of being in London for the games. "You know I'd never been to an Olympics before I was given the Olympic job. I mean I've done the same thing everybody else did. I watched the games on TV. But to actually be here and to experience not just the athletes but also the volunteers who are working hard and excited, and then the whole community comes together? It's fabulous."

Citing the "enthusiasm" of the people in London, Romney added, "I think you are going to see terrific games that will be long time in our memories."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/british-media-hammer-romney-olympic-comments-103800909.html

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Worries about future pummel Zynga shares

NEW YORK (AP) ? Zynga investors are not playing games.

After Zynga's dismal second-quarter earnings report and still dimmer outlook, shares plummeted nearly 40 percent. At least seven analysts downgraded the online games maker and several raised questions about its long-term relevance.

Zynga Inc. cut its full-year guidance sharply Wednesday after reporting a loss and revenue below Wall Street's expectations. Though both user numbers and revenue increased, analysts were expecting much more.

In turn, Goldman Sachs and others downgraded the stock and lowered their target prices.

Problems are myriad for the maker of "FarmVille" and other Facebook games. The company's bleak outlook was due to the sharp drop-off of users of Zynga's most profitable games, delays in developing new games, the growing pull of Facebook's mobile app and because Facebook has changed the way it promotes games, said Goldman's Heath Terry. He cut Zynga to "Neutral" from "Buy."

Zynga's mobile games, such as "Words With Friends," are popular but don't make as much money as the Facebook versions. And Facebook makes up nearly all of Zynga's revenue.

Facebook Inc. recently changed the way it recommends applications to users in a way that favors newer games rather than older ones such as Zynga's "FarmVille." But Cowen analyst Doug Creutz thinks the weak report isn't just about Facebook's changes.

"We are skeptical that Zynga's (paying) player bases on titles like 'FarmVille' and 'CityVille,' which have been around for years, simply forgot to play without proper prompting via their news feed," he wrote in a note to investors. Rather, he said, he thinks users are shifting from PC-based social games to mobile gaming.

"We think this shift is likely permanent and ongoing, threatening Zynga's largest business segment," he said, keeping his "Neutral" rating.

A few analysts remained positive. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian called the quarter a "big reset of expectations" for investors, and the stock will suffer. But he still believes that over the long term, Zynga will benefit from the growing market for social and mobile games. He kept an "Outperform" rating on Zynga's stock but lowered his target price to $6 from $13.

Zynga's stock fell $1.90, or 37.5 percent, to close at $3.18 Thursday. That's its lowest level since Zynga went public in December and nearly 70 percent off its IPO price of $10.

Zynga's bad news dragged Facebook's stock lower too. Shares of the online social networking company dropped $2.50, or 8.5 percent, to $26.84 before Facebook reported its second-quarter earnings, its first as a public company. In 2011, 11 percent of Facebook's revenue came from Zynga.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-07-26-Zynga-Stock/id-730de6bb73cd47dc9cdaf8753ab97f50

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Thank You Seth Godin! Engagement Tips for Nonprofits ? Talisman ...

July 26, 2012 at 9:49 am Barbara Talisman, CFRE

I am still coming off the high of information and action from #MCON2012 and then this post Feet on the Street from Seth Godin appeared today. Seth has shared some great tips for us nonprofiteers. I have substituted organization or nonprofit or donor where he refers to customers, competitors, business. Note: My changes/notes in?italics, bold emphasis also mine.

Seth writes:

An organization (read nonprofit) with feet on the street and alert and regular attention to detail can build more trust and develop better relationships than one than hits and runs.?Now it that isn?t a description of great nonprofit engagement, I don?t know what is.?

• Contact every user?donor who stops using?giving to your service?nonprofit and find out why.
• Create a newsletter for every journalist who covers your space, and deliver it every three weeks, even when you?re not asking for anything. Just to keep them in the loop.?We always talk about engagement without asking for anything. This applies to the fourth estate as well.?
• Eagerly pay attention to people donors, activists?who mention you online and engage with them in a way that they prefer to be engaged.
• Sponsor/Participate in?industry events and actually show up.
• Write a thank you note every single day, to someone who doesn?t expect one.?Donors, prospects, volunteers, activists ? NOTES not email even to those who are mostly online. Fill their mailbox with love!
• Build your permission asset (See Seth?s blog on this.)?by 1% every day. Every day, 1% more people/donors/volunteers/prospects/activists?are eager and happy to hear from you.
• Write a blog every day, not to sell, but to teach.
• Connect people in your industry, because you enjoy it.?See Brian Uzzi on being a network broker!
• Host community meetings in your store?nonprofit organization.
• Put a lemonade stand in front of your business nonprofit?and let the local kids donate raise?the money awareness for your organization?to whatever charity they like.
• Hand out free samples every chance you have.?Share share share.
• Keep in touch with people/donors/volunteers who used to work with you and continue to help them get great gigs and new business, even years later.
• Put together an honest buyer?s guide, pointing out in which instances your competitor?s products are a better choice.?Ok will have to think on this one a bit relative to the third sector. But collaboration comes to mind immediately.
• Run classes for your customers?donors/volunteers/activists.
• Run classes for your competitors.?Collaborate on leadership training.
• Build a recruiting pipeline that is in place more than a year before you need to hire someone. YES! Volunteers, donors, Board members can and are a part of that pipeline.

None of this is sufficient. Your product mission, programs?and your strategy have to be brilliant. But a lot of it is necessary. Hearts and minds?

Thank you Seth Godin!

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Entry filed under: A Better You, Fundraising, Nonprofit fundraising, Resources You Can Use!, Storytelling. Tags: Fundraising, Donor engagement, #mcon2012, Seth Godin, permission asset, permission marketing, building better donor relationships.

Source: http://talismantol.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/thank-you-seth-godin-nonprofits/

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Source: http://www.exactarticle.com/gallbladder-disease-mayo-clinic-health-issues-associated-with-overweight.htm

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Tajikistan adopts heavy tactics to quell warlords

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan (AP) ? Officially, at least, Tolib Ayombekov is a low-ranking security officer along Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan. But these days he's better known as a warlord leading a dangerous band of armed men.

Ayombekov, whose forces clashed with government troops this week ? a battle that killed more than 40 ? typifies the shadowy figures that have tormented authorities in Tajikistan, a country whose obscurity and poverty belie its strategic significance.

Battles with groups such as Ayombekov's threaten the stability of a country that is important to U.S.-led military operations in Afghanistan and that is a main transit route for opium destined for Russia and Western Europe. Observers also worry that an eruption of sustained violence in Tajikistan could trigger unrest in neighboring Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, which also are key countries in the Afghan campaign as routes for military supply and withdrawal.

Tajikistan's security woes date back to the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, when rival political groups jockeyed for power in violent street conflicts that burst into full-fledged civil war in 1992. More than 60,000 people are estimated to have been killed before an uneasy peace deal was reached in 1997.

Under the U.N.-brokered deal, 30 percent of government posts were to be allocated to members of the United Tajik Opposition, an eclectic alliance that brought together Islamists, nationalists and democrats.

Since then, authoritarian President Emomali Rakhmon's government has diluted the terms of the agreement, pushing UTO members out of state positions and bolstering control over regions. Rakhmon's two decade-long rule has been marked by persistent violations of democratic standards and suppression of political opposition.

Ayombekov, 46, was a rebel leader during the civil war and was later appointed a commander of the border police on a section of Tajikistan's 1,200-kilometer (750-mile) frontier with Afghanistan. But observers say he and his forces exert strong informal influence over his native Gorno-Badakhshan region, where deeply impoverished villages nestle among some of the world's highest mountains.

The warlord culture is extensive in Tajikistan, reflecting how local loyalties trump trust of the government and the desire of impoverished men to find income outside legal means.

Authorities accuse Ayombekov, the suspected ringleader of a tobacco-running operation, of being behind last week's murder of Abdullo Nazarov, a general in Tajikistan's national intelligence service. Although only Ayombekov and three others are being sought for the killing, hundreds of troops have reportedly poured into Khorog, the capital of Gorno-Badakhshan, to hunt them down.

Speaking with The Associated Press by telephone before fighting broke out, Ayombekov said the security operation was aimed purely at rounding up former civil war commanders. He denied having anything to do with Nazarov's death.

Rakhmatillo Zoirov, who leads the opposition National Social Democratic Party, said he did not believe the government account of events that led up to this week's clashes.

"The military operation in Khorog was nothing other than a decision by the authorities to once and for all get rid of Badakhshan's informal leaders ? the former field commanders and fighters in the United Tajik Opposition," Zoirov said.

Eliminating former armed opposition leaders, many of whom are suspected radical Islamists, has emerged as a recurring policy in the government's strategy to take the whole country back.

In 2009, under the guise of a drug eradication drive, the army launched a military operation in the Rasht district, once a UTO stronghold, that culminated in the capture of several foreign fighters and the killing of former opposition commander Mirzo Ziyoyev.

Another influential Rasht-based ex-warlord, Mirzokhodzha Akhmadov, later managed to defy government efforts to capture him and surprised many by brokering a murky deal with the authorities that has guaranteed his continued freedom.

Tajikistan's presence in a dangerous neighborhood makes the prospect of continued unrest an alarming one.

Russian analysts closely follow events in the former Soviet state, which is currently embroiled in tense negotiations over a military base lease with Moscow, and have been predicting a possible downward spiral of instability across Central Asia after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan starting in 2014.

Vladimir Zarikhin, deputy director of the Moscow-based CIS Institute, said it was incumbent on President Rakhmon to gain effective control over Gorno-Badakhshan, which covers around half the country, to avoid a descent into complete collapse.

"He is perfectly entitled to do that, since he understands that if he doesn't take complete control before the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, he could lose that half of the country," Zarikhin said.

---

Leonard reported from Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tajikistan-adopts-heavy-tactics-quell-warlords-164931835.html

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How Do I Know If I'm Eligible For A Credit Card? - Personal Finance ...

With online shopping, store cards, and credit and debit cards at our every twist and turn, it?s becoming more and more unusual to use cash when we?re making payments. Whether it?s a few additional items from the local supermarket or a major shopping spree, it is becoming a lot more common to pay by card, but with a high level of debate surrounding the issue of credit cards it can be difficult to establish whether you are a suitable candidate.

Do I need a good credit history?

Your credit history is normally the first area card providers will look at prior to deciding whether or not you qualify for their service, so there is no denying that a good credit rating is of significant importance.

If you are considering taking out credit cards in the near future, one really important initial step would be to set up direct debit accounts for all your monthly payments, as late or missed payments will undoubtedly sway a lenders perception of your suitability.

What if I haven?t got a good credit history?

Even if you don?t have the best credit history, there is action you can take to make your chances of being considered for a credit card greater.

• The first step for anyone in this position would be to cancel any cards which are no longer in use. These will only hinder your attempts to gain credit in the future and it is generally considered to be a useful way of keeping track of your own personal finances.

• Consider which option you apply for ? Whilst a credit rating which leaves something to be desired might well leave you unqualified for certain card options? By being realistic and targeting applications that are much more within your reach, you stand to waste less time. As well as wasting time, this can actually have a really detrimental effect on your future, as every time you make an application, successful or otherwise, a ?footprint? is left on your credit file, having a negative effect on your score.

Source: http://www.personalfinance4all.com/how-do-i-know-if-im-eligible-for-a-credit-card/

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Dozens of evacuated homes, vehicles looted in Colorado wildfire

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dozens-evacuated-homes-vehicles-looted-colorado-wildfire-005455178.html

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