SWAC Girl: Holidays ... family and laughter

The most sacred holiday of the year for Christians, Easter is a time when families gather not only to commemorate the resurrection of Christ but also to spend time as a family, sitting together around the table to enjoy a meal as well as celebrate the day with Easter egg hunts and special treats.

At our house, there is also laughter.

As I took a break Sunday afternoon after Easter brunch at my sister's house where our family had gathered to spend the day together, I was struck by the amount of laughter coming from the dining room where the kids were clustered around the table playing board games. It is part of who we are. We enjoy being together, spending time working together whether it's in the kitchen as we cook and prepare meals, or playing games, watching movies, or just hanging out.? It made me think back over the years growing up in a large family with many aunts and uncles as well as a slew of cousins -- my mom was the youngest of ten children -- and laughter has been there all along.

What a great way to grow up. We didn't have much money and we didn't live in big houses, but we had the friendship and fun of family that gathered for every holiday. When I was a child, most Sunday afternoons were spent at my grandparents' home. Cousins dashed around the yard playing tag while grandparents watched from the porch, and aunts and uncles rocked and talked about jobs and gardens and life.

Easter during my youth was no different. After church, we all headed to our grandparents' house to enjoy a variety of dishes that everyone contributed for the potluck meal, and socialize. When it was time for the annual egg hunt, children were herded into the house and closely watched to be sure they didn't peek out the windows while parents hid dozens of marshmallow, cellophane-covered eggs throughout the large yard. When every egg had been tucked into a safe hiding place, the door was opened and a pack of squealing kids flew out into the yard to scoop up the multi-colored eggs, dashing from here to there as we searched behind bushes, trees, and spring flowers for the edible treats. What fun we had in those youthful, innocent days and, over it all, the peals of laughter could be heard, both from the children in the yard, and from the adults sitting and rocking on the porch.

All the money in the world cannot buy that kind of laughter....

Source: http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2013/04/holidays-family-and-laughter.html

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Texas DA was shot 20 times, wife once, federal source says

District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia were found shot to death in their home Saturday, just two months after the county's assistant DA, Mark Hasse, was gunned down outside the courthouse. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez reports.

By Pete Williams and Jeff Black, NBC News

A Texas district attorney was shot at 20 times and his wife, Cynthia, was shot once when they were gunned down in their home on Saturday, a federal source with knowledge of the investigation told NBC News.

The source didn't say exactly how many times the man was hit. An earlier affidavit in the case said both of the victims sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The reason for the discrepancy was unclear.

The slayings of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife have rocked the the small town of Kaufman on the eastern outskirts of Dallas.

The brazen attack on the justice official comes weeks after Colorado's prison director, Tom Clements, was shot to death at his home, with a paroled white supremacist ex-con killed in a Texas shootout the main suspect.

The deaths also came less than three months after McLelland had publicly vowed to track down the killer of?Assistant?District Attorney Mark Hasse,?who was shot dead midday Jan. 31 in the middle of Kaufman's town square.

In a search warrant affidavit, deputies told an investigator they saw cartridge casings inside the residence near the two bodies during a protective sweep of the home. Sheriff?s office?personnel?observed multiple gunshot wounds, the statement said.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram?first reported on the affidavit?s contents on Tuesday; the document was also reviewed by Reuters.

The Kaufman County sheriff was expected to release an update on the case on Tuesday. A scheduled Tuesday morning news briefing was canceled, and reporters were told the next update would be done via a news release.

Law enforcement officials have been tight-lipped about the investigation into the double murder.

No connection has been revealed to the Hasse killing, in which no bullet casings were found and no suspects have been named.

County Judge Bruce Wood, however, said Monday he believes the fatal shootings of the prosecutors are related.

?This was just not some random act,? he told the Star-Telegram. ?It seems to me there has to be some connection.?

Federal prosecutors told NBC News they are working on different theories on who might be responsible for the double slaying. One is the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, a white supremacist jail gang. Dozens of its members were charged with crimes in a multiagency investigation that included McLelland's office. Other officials have played down that angle.

Other theories being investigated are drug cartels and a lone gunman with a grudge. Still, a federal source told NBC News there is no clear theory that stands out to explain the apparent assassinations, and no direct link with any groups has been reported.

Assistant District Attorney Brandi Fernandez on Monday was named to take over for McLelland and will hold the district attorney job for 21 days or until Gov. Rick Perry appoints a successor.

Meanwhile, hundreds of law enforcement professionals? ? including the FBI and the Texas Rangers ? are working on the case.

Judges and prosecutors arrived at the county courthouse under heavy protection Tuesday morning, flanked by armed guards.

?I think everyone is sad over this,? County Judge David Lewis, a friend of McLelland who attended the same church, told NBCDFW.com. When asked if there were a sense of fear, he said, "Sure. Yeah.? We?re going to keep going on, and we?re going to do the best we can.?

Though police have so far given few answers, there was optimism at the courthouse that the crime would be solved.

"I am confident they will find whoever committed this crime," Wood said.

A public memorial service for the McLellands was scheduled for Thursday at First Baptist Church of Sunnyvale in Mesquite. The couple will be buried in Mike McLelland's hometown of Wortham.?

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

Texas community in 'shock' over slaying of DA, wife
Phone records probed after killing of Texas prosecutor and his wife

This story was originally published on Tue Apr 2, 2013 3:05 PM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2a436243/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C0A20C175714590Etexas0Eda0Ewas0Eshot0E20A0Etimes0Ewife0Eonce0Efederal0Esource0Esays0Dlite/story01.htm

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Caroline Kennedy: Good or bad choice for US ambassador to Japan?

Caroline Kennedy has largely shunned public political life, spending much of her time working at nonprofit organizations. Is it a good idea to send someone with little diplomatic experience as envoy to an important US ally?

By Peter Grier,?Staff writer / April 2, 2013

Caroline Kennedy for a photo session last month at Brookline Booksmith in Brookline, Massachusetts. She promoted her new poetry anthology 'Poems to Learn by Heart.' Ms. Kennedy is on the verge of serving as US ambassador to Japan, according to news reports.

Joanne Ciccarello/Christian Science Monitor

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Caroline Kennedy is on the verge of serving as US ambassador to Japan, according to news reports. The Obama administration has apparently asked her to take this major post, and she?s now being vetted for the position.

Skip to next paragraph Peter Grier

Washington Editor

Peter Grier is The Christian Science Monitor's Washington editor. In this capacity, he helps direct coverage for the paper on most news events in the nation's capital.

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The last surviving member of President Kennedy?s family, Ms. Kennedy has largely shunned public political life, though she often speaks at quadrennial Democratic National Conventions. She?s spent much of her time working at nonprofit organizations in New York. Her latest book is called ?Poems to Learn by Heart.?

Is it a good idea to send someone with so little diplomatic experience as envoy to an important US ally?

Not always. But in Ms. Kennedy?s case, the answer to that question is most likely yes.

The main reason for this is rooted in the hierarchical Japanese political culture. In the US view, Japan prefers well-known American ambassadors, not necessarily because they are more effective, but because they symbolize the importance of Tokyo to Washington.

Thus Walter Mondale was a good choice for US envoy during the Clinton administration. In the United States, he was still somebody who?d lost a presidential bid to Ronald Reagan. In Japan, he was a revered elder statesman to a degree perhaps difficult to fathom back home.

Other Democratic Party elder statesmen who have served as Washington?s person in Tokyo include former Senate majority leader Mike Mansfield, from 1977 to 1988, and ex-Speaker Tom Foley. Former Republican Senate majority leader Howard Baker was ambassador to Japan from 2001 to 2005.

In addition, Japanese commentators are currently noting that Ms. Kennedy has displayed past interest in Japan. It was one of the stops on her 1986 honeymoon with husband Edwin Schlossberg.

?And in a country still very much captivated by the Kennedys, her celebrity could also provide a subtle antidote to the growing concern among Japanese officials that Japan is being eclipsed in American eyes by its chief regional rival, China,? writes Tokyo-based reporter Coco Masters in Foreign Policy.

Ms. Masters makes another interesting point in her piece: Kennedy would be the first woman in the Tokyo post. This could be a powerful symbol of a different kind for Japan, which remains more male-dominated than almost all other developed countries. Only 12 percent of Japanese management positions are held by females, according to an International Monetary Fund study.

?Kennedy could ... be a powerful example to Japanese women,? Masters writes.

Not every commentator in the US thinks Kennedy-to-Japan is a great idea, though. Conservatives who have long seen the Kennedy family as the avatar of tax-and-spend liberalism are particularly negative.

They point out that Kennedy?s attempt to follow Hillary Rodham Clinton into a New York Senate seat was something of a train wreck. After Mrs. Clinton was named secretary of State, Kennedy angled for an appointment from then-Gov. David Paterson to fill out the term. But her public appearances were stilted and made her appear as if she knew little about New York State politics. Eventually she withdrew her name from consideration, citing unnamed personal matters.

?I realize that the U.S. government can?t function without a Kennedy or two somewhere in the mix, but is there really no lesser diplomatic position to gift Princess? The Koreas are on the brink of war and Japanese tensions with China will be fragile for years to come. This is not a purely ceremonial role. Why not ambassador to Luxembourg instead? I?ll bet the skiing?s great,? writes conservative commentator Allahpundit on Hot Air.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/MBthk16IH54/Caroline-Kennedy-Good-or-bad-choice-for-US-ambassador-to-Japan

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Imagery of Town in Fukushima Exclusion Zone on Google Street View

Google has made it possible to explore Japan`s nuclear exclusion zone through its street view initiative. ?Two years after the earthquake and the tsunami that lead to a nuclear meltdown in the Fukushima Number 1 Nuclear plant and consequently, to thousands of north Japan residents fleeing their homes,?it is now possible to experience the area of abandonment through published images of the devastation in the small Japanese town of Namie.

Google started filming and taking photos in Namie when they were invited by its mayor, Tamotsu Baba. 21,000 residents are still not allowed to reenter the city, but they can access Street View imagery of their town on Google Maps.

Most of the images captured by Google were collapsed buildings and wrecked fishing boats washed ashore. Mayor Tamotsu Baba gave Google permission to take photos to give locals and people abroad a look at the damages left by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear radiation. According to some reports, those from areas closest to the nuclear site may have to wait decades before their communities are safe to live in again.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Namie recently, announcing a plan this summer for the return of the residents to some areas of the evacuation zone. The Prime Minister is also expected to offer a timeframe for the completion of the reconstruction of the neighborhood.

Panoramic images of the town are available on Google Maps, Google Earth and the Memories for the Future site, which has already published before and after images of communities hit by the disasters.

Source:? Guardian.co.uk

Tokyo Apartments For Sale | Tokyo Apartments For Rent | Real Estate Japan

Source: http://www.realestate.co.jp/2013/04/01/imagery-of-town-in-fukushima-exclusion-zone-on-google-street-view/

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'Walking Dead' finale: Most memorable scenes

Gene Page / AMC

Andrea (Laurie Holden) in the season three finale of "The Walking Dead."

By Drusilla Moorhouse, TODAY contributor

"The Walking Dead's" third-season finale delivered plenty of shockers to keep us talking until the zombie apocalypse hit returns in October.

The biggest surprise? Probably that the Governor survived after gunning down most of the Woodbury forces. Or how about Carl's coldblooded killing of a (supposedly) surrendering soldier?

Andrea's death was almost a given -- most fans had expected her to be one of the major characters we'd lose this year. Her farewell was a touching tribute to the woman who tried so hard to broker peace between Woodbury and her former comrades.

"Carl ... the rest of them?" she asked Rick, who insisted she was always part of their original group.

Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/04/01/17554696-the-walking-dead-finale-most-memorable-scenes?lite

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Nothing fishy about it: Fish oil can boost the immune system

Apr. 1, 2013 ? Fish oil rich in DHA and EPA is widely believed to help prevent disease by reducing inflammation, but until now, scientists were not entirely sure about its immune enhancing effects. A new report appearing in the April 2013 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, helps provide clarity on this by showing that DHA-rich fish oil enhances B cell activity, a white blood cell, challenging the notion that fish oil is only immunosuppressive. This discovery is important as it shows that fish oil does not necessarily reduce the overall immune response to lower inflammation, possibly opening the doors for the use of fish oil among those with compromised immune systems.

"Fish oil may have immune enhancing properties that could benefit immunocompromised individuals," said Jenifer Fenton, Ph.D., M.P.H., a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.

To make this discovery, researchers used two groups of mice. One group was fed a control diet, and the other was fed a diet supplemented with DHA-rich fish oil for five weeks. B cells were harvested from several tissues and then stimulated in culture. Researchers then looked for markers of B cell activation on the cell surface, B cell membrane changes, and B cell cytokine production. They found that DHA-enriched fish oil enhanced B cell activation and select antibody production, which may actually aid immune responses associated with pathogen clearance, while possibly dampening the totality of the inflammatory response.

"This work confirms similar findings on fish oil and B cells from our lab, and moves us one step closer to understanding the immune enhancing properties of EPA and DHA," said S. Raza Shaikh, Ph.D., a researcher also involved in the work from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at East Carolina University.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. E. A. Gurzell, H. Teague, M. Harris, J. Clinthorne, S. R. Shaikh, J. I. Fenton. DHA-enriched fish oil targets B cell lipid microdomains and enhances ex vivo and in vivo B cell function. Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 2012; 93 (4): 463 DOI: 10.1189/jlb.0812394

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/5_7lPVX69Fg/130401111545.htm

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Proof that Good Content Marketing Strategies Work | Freelance ...

Image from Forbes article about content marketing. Click image to read article.

A few weeks ago, I received some very gratifying news from one of my clients when they told me one of my articles had attracted more sales than any other in that month. Last week I received even more gratifying news when I learned that the company?s freelance writing team could ?feel more secure? writing for them because our articles were out earning other revenue sources. These were the exact words:

In terms of traffic sources, outbrain is number three ? a little behind Google organic ? with 100, 000 visits in March. In terms of jobs those sourced from articles have a higher average value (site average is $20 vs article $33)

Outbrain is a content marketing service that works in 2 ways:

1. Smarter Engagement
2. Smart content distribution

That?s about all I know about it, but it?s the second service, ?content distribution? that is the most interesting to me. I threw in the word ?smart? because Outbrain is not like those article distribution services that get articles published on thousands of low quality, irrelevant sites. In fact, they even have strict article quality guidelines, which may limit their client base, but attracts better paying clients and the trust of the high profile sites that advertise the content that comes from them.

Anyway, I breathed sigh of relief when I received that email because about a year ago, the company let go of most of their freelance writers and I?ve been wondering ever since if my days were numbered. Since they?ve been the source of up to half my income for over 2 1/2 years, that?s not something I want to happen. I know it?s a really bad idea to rely too heavily on one income stream and it?s something I?m working on, but haven?t quite gotten there yet.

At the same time they trimmed their article output, the company revamped their site, started using Outbrain and rethinking their SEO strategies. They had never been big on keyword stuffing and always put informative content above all else, but had been largely self-contained, relying heavily on search engine traffic. As the email above proves, spreading their content around more has been a successful content marketing strategy.

Content Marketing Strategies for the Budget Conscious

In a way, Outbrain?s services are a lot like a big-budget version of guest blogging, which is something I?ve never explored but am going to soon. I became convinced of its efficacy after reading a post by Carol Tice about how guest blogging helped her go from virtual obscurity to one of the most popular freelance writing blogs in the world.

As I?ve mentioned before, I blog primarily because I like to blog and it?s a welcome change from assignment writing. I also blog as an experiment, to see if the advice of internet marketing gurus really works. With a budget of zero, I can?t afford to pay for SEO or other services like Outbrain, but I have been able to verify a couple of the things the gurus often write about.

One of the things content marketing blogs preach is that banners and widget ads don?t perform nearly as well as relevant links placed in content. This has been my experience in spades:

• On my other site, Sihanoukville Journal, I get lots of little commissions for hotel bookings, but they drop off when I?m not writing about Sihanoukville accommodations.
• After writing two posts about Grammarly, I got several commissions. That was months ago and I haven?t made much of anything from Grammarly since. It?s a shame, because Grammarly is a great product.
• To my complete amazement, after writing a couple of posts about Transparent Corp?s brainwave entrainment product, Neuro-Programmer 3, I got a couple of healthy commissions within a couple of weeks. I say to my amazement because I didn?t think many freelance writers would be interested in brainwave entrainment products.

I don?t really want to turn either of my blogs into commercial blogs, but I don?t mind pushing good products once in awhile and when I do, it works.

Another thing the gurus teach is to market your content through social media channels. Frankly, this hasn?t been enormously successful for me, but I haven?t really tried very hard, either. It has helped, though, and if I had the time or inclination to try harder, I?m sure it would help even more.

My Twitter induced traffic spike. Note that it?s on the same day I published my blog, 17 March. It was all downhill from there.

Speaking of social media gives me an opportunity to share a quick story with you. A few weeks ago when I was in Phnom Penh, I wrote What Freelance Writers Can Learn from Propaganda. I expected nothing from it, but before I even tweeted the blog, someone I?d criticized must have gotten a ping, because within hours, I got a series of emails telling me I?d been mentioned on Twitter. Most of the mentions were in defense of the journalist I?d criticized, but it didn?t matter: I got a traffic spike here like I?ve never seen before and for the first time, Twitter was my main traffic source on this blog. Just goes to show that creating controversy is a good way to create traffic.

Proof that good content marketing strategies really work should come as good news to all freelance writers, because it shows that our efforts have value and we can expect to get paid accordingly.

Rob Schneider is a writer currently based in Sihanoukville Cambodia. Rob writes feature articles and web content for a number of Australian and U.S, companies as well as for his own blogs.

Source: http://www.writing-resources.org/content-marketing-strategies-work/

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