Housing market recovery gains traction

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Worlds Largest Social Fitness Network ... - Body Health & Fitness


Boise, ID (PRWEB) 10 February 2012

powered BodySpace, the world?s largest social network of fitness Bodybuilding.com and Iron Man Magazine, one of the longest running bodybuilding publications, have officially announced Craig Capurso and Laura Bailey as the 2012 BodySpace Spokesmodel Search Winners .

From New York, New York, Craig Capurso is a commodities trader in the energy markets on Wall Street. With his passion for working out, Craig has earned the name of meat on the floor. Craig has a strong background in athletics from his high school, college and semi-professional career on the football field. He is a United States Boxing Commission Amateur boxer (nicknamed hot commodity) and a professional physique competitor with the IFBB. His natural leadership qualities and Craig?s commitment to help others who really took him aside to stand out from the rest. He has personally over 10K in the last two years of fundraising for the annual performance-based Wall Street Decathlon (proceeds support the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center research initiatives) are raised.

For more information about Craig Capurso, please visit his Body in Space http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/craigcapurso/.

Laura Bailey, living in Bakersfield, California, is a college psychology, sociology, philosophy, and teacher, also works as a mental health doctor. She has a strong desire to those who help themselves with eating disorders, body image problems and other mental disorders. Laura first developed her love of health and fitness in college, where she ran cross country and track and field. She began competing in figure competitions in 2004 and has since been nationally and internationally in over 34 contests (winning 12 of their 34 shows) participated. Laura?s positive personality and infectious blend of faith and fitness makes an amazing leader for the BodySpace community.

For more information about Laura Bailey, please visit their BodySpace at http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/jumper11/.


The annual

BodySpace Spokesmodel Competition is a highly anticipated event will determine who will be the official representative for the community. About 400 men and women online for this incredible opportunity to register, and with the help of online votes from Bodybuilding.com visitors the top 40 semi-finalists (comprised of men and women) were adopted. From there, the top ten finals of employees Bodybuilding.com and Iron Man Magazine selected and flown to Los Angeles studio to a series of Spokesmodel events, including a professional photo shoot participate with renowned photographer Mike Neveux Iron Man and a training video shoot video filmed by the Bodybuilding.com team.

On Saturday, January 28, in her last event was attended by the finalists BodySpace Spokesmodel the Los Angeles Fitness Expo stage to compete for the coveted title. They led to go with an individual model, struggled round in a thorough review and answered questions interview with hosts Mike OHearn (Titan from American Gladiators) and Bodybuilding.com Spokesmodel Jamie Eason provided. Personality, physique, and marketable presentation with a look: The finalists were judged on their performance throughout the week based on the following factors. It was a difficult decision for the judges (consisting of Savannah Neveux of Iron Man Magazine, 2011 BodySpace Spokesmodel Steve Cook, vice president of digital publishing Bodybuilding.com John Hardesty and Bodybuilding.com Video Editor Jaki Covington), but after careful consideration, Craig Capurso Laura Bailey and won the title.


BodySpace Spokesmodel

winner will receive a year long contract with Bodybuilding.com, an Ironman Magazine cover and editorial feature, and especially the absolute admiration of over one million members BodySpace.

For more information about the 2012 BodySpace Spokesmodel competition, please visit http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2012-bodyspace-spokesmodel-search-winners.html

Bodybuilding.com offers more than 13,000 health and fitness supplements and accessories at more than 11 million people every month to reach their health, fitness and appearance goals to help. The site contains more than 35,000 pages of free information, including more than 20,000 articles and videos, online expert and trainer of new content added daily.

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FL-2012 President: 47% Romney (R), 41% Obama (D) (Quinnipiac 5/15-21)

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Quinnipiac
5/15-21/12; 1,722 registered voters, 2.4% margin of error
Mode: Live telephone interviews
Quinnipiac release

Florida

2012 President
47% Romney (R), 41% Obama (D) (chart)

Contribute to this Story:

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Egyptians vote in presidential election's 2nd day

CAIRO (AP) ? Choosing their president freely for the first time, Egyptians are voting on the second day of an election that will produce a successor to longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak.

There were lines outside some polling centers on Thursday, but the morning turnout was generally weaker than the previous day's, when voters lined up outside polling centers before they opened.

Thirteen candidates are contesting the election, including Islamists, liberals and figures from Mubarak's ousted regime. Since none is likely to win outright in this first round on Wednesday and Thursday, the top two finishers will enter a run-off June 16-17. A winner will be announced June 21.

The generals who took control after Mubarak have promised to hand over power by July 1.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

CAIRO (AP) ? After a lifetime of being told who will rule them, Egyptians dove enthusiastically into the uncertainty of the Arab world's first competitive presidential race Wednesday, wrestling with a polarizing choice between secularists rooted in Hosni Mubarak's old autocracy and Islamists hoping to infuse the state with religion.

Waiting in long lines, voters were palpably excited at the chance to decide their country's path in the vote, the fruit of last year's stunning popular revolt that overthew Mubarak after 29 years in power. For the past 60 years, Egypt's presidents ran unchallenged in yes-or-no referendums that few bothered to vote in.

Still, the choices raised worries among many about whether real democracy will emerge. The final result, likely to come after a runoff next month, will only open a new chapter of political struggle.

Mohammed Salah, 26, emerged grinning from a poll station, fresh from casting his ballot. "Before, they used to take care of that for me," he said. "Today, I am choosing for myself."

Medhat Ibrahim, 58, who suffers from cancer, had tears in his eyes. "I might die in a matter of months, so I came for my children, so they can live," he said, as he waited to vote in a poor Cairo district. "We want to live better, like human beings." He later came out flashing a finger stained with the blue ink used to prevent multiple voting. "Mubarak's policies gave me cancer," he said, referring to the decline in health care under the last regime. "Now I got my revenge."

Adding to the drama, this election is up in the air. The reliability of polls is uncertain, and four of the 13 candidates have bounced around the top spots, leaving no clear front-runner. None is likely to win outright in Wednesday and Thursday's balloting, so the top two vote-getters enter a run-off June 16-17, with the victor announced June 21.

The two secular front-runners are both veterans of Mubarak's regime ? former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq and former foreign minister Amr Moussa.

The main Islamist contenders are Mohammed Morsi of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood and Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh, a moderate Islamist whose inclusive platform has won him the support of some liberals, leftists and minority Christians.

The debate went right up to the doorsteps of schools around the country where poll stations were set up.

Some voters backed Mubarak-era veterans, believing they can bring stability after months of rising crime, a crumbling economy and bloody riots. Others were horrified by the thought, believing the "feloul" ? or "remnants" of the regime ? will keep Egypt locked in dictatorship and thwart democracy.

Islamists, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, saw their chance to lead a country where they were repressed for decades and to implement their version of Islamic law. Their critics recoiled, fearing theocracy.

Some saw an alternative to both in a leftist candidate, Hamdeen Sabahi, who has claimed the mantle of Egypt's first president, the populist Gamal Abdel-Nasser.

An Islamist victory, particularly by Morsi, will likely mean a greater emphasis on religion in government. His Muslim Brotherhood, which already dominates parliament, says it won't mimic Saudi Arabia and force women to wear veils or implement harsh punishments like amputations. But it says it does want to implement a more moderate version of Islamic law, which liberals fear will mean limitations on many rights.

Many of the candidates have called for amendments to Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel, which remains deeply unpopular. None is likely to dump it, but a victory by any of the Islamist or leftist candidates in the race could mean strained ties with Israel and a stronger stance in support of the Palestinians in the peace process.

The candidates from the Mubarak regime ? and, ironically, the Brotherhood, which has already held multiple talks with U.S. officials ? are most likely to maintain the alliance with the United States.

A looming question is whether either side will accept victory by the other. Islamists have warned of new protests if Shafiq wins, which they say can only happen by fraud. Many are convinced the ruling military wants a victory by Shafiq, a former air force commander.

"Over my dead body will Shafiq or Moussa win. Why not just bring back Mubarak?" said Saleh Zeinhom, a merchant backing Abolfotoh. "I'm certain we'll have a bloodbath after the elections because the military council won't hand power to anyone but Shafiq."

Shafiq was met by several dozen protesters screaming "down with the feloul" as he arrived to vote in an upscale neighborhood east of Cairo. Some protesters showed their contempt by holding up their shoes in his direction. On his way out, some mobbed him, swinging their shoes at him as his security hustled him into his car.

Shafiq, who was Mubarak's last prime minister until he too was forced out of his post by protests, has been openly disparaging of the pro-democracy youth groups who led the anti-Mubarak uprising. Critics view him as too close to the generals who took over from Mubarak and whose own reputation is tainted by human rights abuses and authoritarian tendencies.

But with his strongman image, he has appealed to Egyptians who crave stability and fear Islamists.

"The country is going under. We need a president that implements justice and brings back security. Bottom line," said Essam el-Khatib, a government employee voting in the Cairo suburb of Maadi.

Nearby another man, Sayed Attiya, shouted, "What Shafiq? We didn't have a revolution to bring back Shafiq!"

The Muslim Brotherhood, meanwhile, faced a backlash of its own.

The group was the biggest winner in parliament elections late last year, winning nearly half the seats. But it disillusioned some by seeming too power hungry, demanding to be allowed to form a government and trying to dominate a panel created to draft a new constitution. The panel was scrapped and the process of writing the vital new charter is on hold as politicians struggle over forming a new one.

The image it has cultivated as an advocate of tolerance and piety was damaged by its campaign to discredit Abolfotoh, who quit the Brotherhood to run for president, and its edict that it is a sin to vote for anyone not advocating implementation of Islamic Shariah law.

At a polling station in the village of Ikhsas, outside Cairo, a group of neighbors got into a friendly but frank debate.

"I voted Brotherhood for parliament but I find they are inflexible in their opinions and want to take everything. I can't now find them in the country's top job," Bassem Saber, a 31-year-old accountant dressed in the traditional local robes, told the circle of men. He now backs Abolfotoh.

Khaled el-Zeini, a Brotherhood backer, said people were being unfair.

Fares Kamel, a local trader, interjected with a shout against the Brothers, "We loved them and wanted them but we realized they are all about monopolizing power."

But the group has a powerful electoral machine.

In the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Brotherhood vans ferried women supporters to the polls in the poor neighborhood of Abu Suleiman, one of the group's strongholds. The women, in headscarves or covered head to toe in black robes and veils that hid their faces, filed into the station.

"I want to give the Brotherhood a chance to rule," said Aida Ibrahim, a veteran Brotherhood member who was helping voters find their station. "If it doesn't work, they will be held accountable," she said.

Some Brotherhood supporters cited the group's years of providing charity to the poor ? including reduced-price meat, and free medical care.

"Whoever fills the tummy gets the vote," said Naima Badawi, a housewife sitting on her doorstep watching voters in Abu Sir, one of the many farming villages near the Pyramids being sucked into Cairo's urban sprawl.

There were only a few reports of overt violations of election rules Wednesday, mainly concerning candidates' backers campaigning near polling stations. Three international monitoring organizations, including the U.S.'s Carter Center, were observing the vote. Former President Jimmy Carter, the center's head, visited a polling station in the ancient Cairo district of Sayeda Aisha.

The election's winner will face a monumental task. The economy has been sliding as the key tourism industry dried up ? though it is starting to inch back up. Crime has increased. Labor strikes have proliferated.

And the political turmoil is far from over. The generals who took over from Mubarak have promised to hand authority to the election winner by the end of June. But many fear it will try to maintain a considerable amount of political say. The fundamentals of Mubarak's police state remain in place, including the powerful security forces.

"We will have an elected president, but the military is still here and the old regime is not dismantled," said Ahmed Maher, a prominent activist from the group April 6, a key architect of last year's 18-day uprising against Mubarak.

"The pressure will continue," he said. "People have finally woken up. Whoever the next president is, we won't leave him alone."

___

Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb, Maggie Michael and Matt Ford in Cairo and Aya Batrawy in Alexandria, Egypt, contributed to this report.

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Acne treatment by dermatologist | Health and Fitness

acne treatment by dermatologistSteifel PanOxy Bar 10%: Engineered to help counter the effects of adolescent changes in the skin including blackheads, oiliness and congestion. Research has discovered that side effects such as headaches, heart problems, jaundice and arthritis can be linked with certain treatments. Here is the story : Acne is a reflection of your inner health. Your sensitive skin can get puffy chin acne treatment pink every time you try a new skincare product. It is always like your mother told you, eating your fruits and vegetables are what chin foods help cure acne. But, caffeine may be a diuretic, which means that it removes water from your body. Successful acne treatment can take up to six to nine weeks for mild to moderate acne and much longer for more severe levels. This is especially if the scar left was very severe. You don? t need t have them treatment all for acne to occur and the occurrence of one may not produce acne. I can promise you that. Choose the foods you eat. Vitamin E ointment just may be a solution to acne scars if you want something affordable and economical. For instance, your sebaceous glands may have a genetic tendency to manufacture by extra oil if a hormonal imbalance occurs within your body. These pills also have some risks connected to it such as heart attacks, strokes, blood clots and breast cancer. Some solutions are less expensive than others however may not give perfect results. There is no need to either be embarrassed, just remember, these women were teenagers once too, and probably treated with the same problems. 8. It may be applied all over face, kept for an hour and then washed off. Take a cotton pad, and dip it in this mixture, squeeze it to remove excess liquid, and then dab it all over your face. A little about myself; I acne developed acne, as most people do, during my teen years. If you mix honey with treatment mashed apple and use this for a mask, the acne might become easier to handle. Facial acne zits are a punch line in acne jokes and tv shows. It is found in most red wines dermatologist and it is use acne treatment by dermatologist in aiding heart disease prevention. You can do this from you own home via the phone. The steam also removes blackheads and whiteheads as well as relaxes facial muscles. Acne treatment using a laser can be as simple as reshaping the surface of the skin to even out the hills and valleys. 6. Check your makeup and other skin products acne treatment by dermatologist if they have a ? non- comedogenic? label on them.

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Small Business Marketing and Market Research Made Easy

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The key to your financial success lies in finding and building your business network. The richest people in the world are looking for networks and build them; also they know how to keep them! All others are job seekers. Business marketing and market research can separate you from this crowd of job seekers. The difference between winners and losers is determined by the finish line. Winners do not care whether they came to finish line first or last. They only care to cross! Losers give up before they even tried.

Marketing knowledge is crucial if you intend to start your own business or thinking about the possibilities of starting it. Small business marketing is important part of everyday business activities. Definition of business marketing is used to describe activity of different individuals or organizations, including marketing and other companies, governments and institutions to facilitate the sale of their products or services to other companies or organizations. Business marketing is also known as industrial marketing, business-to-business marketing or B2B marketing.

Marketing or small business marketing knowledge can be seen as set of skills which you can obtain and used in order to attract large number of buyers from the market, you will also learn how to keep them. If you want to directly impact your companies profit and also gain expertise in one of the most dynamic business area, this section is for you.

The methodology of marketing is very much changing, because of increased use of computers and the Internet. Large number of customers is now targeted this way, using various popular sites, like Facebook for example. On the other hand, the use of new marketing methods is multiplying the impact and the market becomes stronger than before with much higher profit. However, only companies that are capable and know how to do it as well as highly paid professionals can apply this new knowledge in certain way that can bring them really high profit.

There is a reason why is so. The Department of documentary research Cambridge University found that the average person in the urban environment receives between 1,500 and 3,000 promotional messages per day. Investments in advertising grow at impressive rate, but it also reduces confidence in the ads. The budget for local advertising company has doubled in the last four years, but regardless, the force of the marketing attack on the investment market is melted down because potential customers distrust. One out of eight TV viewers believes that television ads are truthful regarding the product. This trend of declining confidence is evident in every medium, including the Internet.

In response to these trends, the current marketing practices of an enterprise provide a strong influence on the market. The new method provides significant cash returns on investment in attracting customers. One well-known local company last year led a campaign that brought traffic to 40 euros each euro invested. These are numbers that every manager or business owner dreams of.

Main objective of every marketing course is to teach students about the concept of business marketing as well as the strategies used. It also explains the difference between business and consumer marketing. Education will provide tools for understanding the customer, implementation of knowledge to create appropriate products, services and offers. You will also learn methods of selecting the best way to deliver a message and real product/service value to customers.

You will be able to provide high cash flow and attract more clients to you or the company you work for.

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Hezbollah appeals for calm after Syria kidnapping

(AP) ? The leader of Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah appealed for calm Tuesday after people blocked roads and burned tires in Beirut to protest the kidnapping of 11 Lebanese Shiites in neighboring Syria.

The abductions in Syria's northern Aleppo province threatened to ignite dangerous sectarian tensions and fueled fears that Lebanon is getting drawn into the chaos next door.

The Lebanese were on their way home from a religious pilgrimage in Iran when Syrian rebels intercepted their vehicles, Syria's state-run SANA news agency said. The rebels abducted the 11 men and a Syrian driver. The women were released.

Lebanese security officials confirmed the kidnapping.

As the news of the kidnappings spread, residents of the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Shiite area, took to the streets and burned tires and blocked roads in protest. The leader of Hezbollah, a strong ally of the Syrian regime, appealed for calm and warned his followers against revenge attacks targeting Syrians.

"This is strictly prohibited," Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech.

He said the Lebanese government must press for the pilgrims' release.

"We will work day and night until these beloved people are with us," Nasrallah said.

Hezbollah has stood by Syrian President Bashar Assad as he struggles to put down a 15-month-old uprising.

Sunnis form the backbone of the Syrian revolt, which has unleashed boiling sectarian tensions. Assad and the ruling elite in Syria belong to the tiny Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiism.

Within hours of the kidnappings, the Syrian government began moving into Azaz in Aleppo province, where the abductions took place, activists said.

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

Tuesday's kidnappings come at a time of deep tension in Lebanon over Syria. The countries share a complex web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries, which can quickly turn violent. The conflict already has spilled across the border, with deadly results.

Lebanese Sunni groups supporting and opposing the Damascus regime fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns in Beirut early Monday, killing at least two people. It was among the most serious fighting in the capital since 2008.

The spark for the violence was the killing Sunday of Sheik Ahmed Abdul-Wahid, an anti-Syrian Sunni cleric, and his bodyguard in northern Lebanon. A Lebanese soldier shot the men, apparently after they failed to stop at an army checkpoint. The killing fueled deep anger over the perceived support of some of Lebanon's security forces for the Syrian regime.

Syria had troops on the ground in Lebanon for nearly 30 years until 2005 and still has strong ties to Lebanon's security services.

Earlier this month, the arrest of Shadi Mawlawi, an outspoken Lebanese critic of Assad, set off several days of clashes in northern Lebanon that killed eight people. Mawlawi was accused of belonging to a terrorist group.

On Tuesday, authorities released him from jail on $330 bail, a move many hoped would defuse tensions. During a news conference in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, Mawlawi said he was "subjected to psychological pressure and torture" following his May 12 arrest and was forced to give false confessions that he was connected to terror groups.

Mawlawi denies any links to such groups.

As he spoke, supporters at the news conference lashed out at the Syrian regime, saying, "Assad is the enemy of God."

Associated Press

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Witness says he saw Clemens at Canseco pool party

Former Major League baseball trainer Brian McNamee leaves federal court in Washington, Monday, May 21, 2012, after testifying in the Roger Clemens perjury trial. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Former Major League baseball trainer Brian McNamee leaves federal court in Washington, Monday, May 21, 2012, after testifying in the Roger Clemens perjury trial. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

IFLE - This Feb. 1, 2008 file photo shows former major league baseball player Chuck Knoblauch, holdings his son Jake on Capitol Hill in Washington, following his deposition before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The key witness in the Roger Clemens perjury trial testified Monday, May 21, 2012 about three other baseball players who he said took human growth hormone. Brian McNamee, Clemens' longtime strength and conditioning coach, told jurors that he provided HGH to current Yankee pitcher Andy Pettitte and former Yankee infielder Chuck Knoblauch. McNamee also testified that former Yankee pitcher Mike Stanton obtained HGH from drug dealer Kirk Radomski, after McNamee put them in touch.(AP Photos/Susan Walsh)

FILE - This July 9, 2001 file photo shows the American League New York Yankees pitchers, from left, Andy Pettitte, Mike Stanton and Roger Clemens, posing together for fans before the All-Star Home Run Derby at Safeco Field in Seattle. The key witness in the Roger Clemens perjury trial testified Monday, May 21, 2012, about three other baseball players who he said took human growth hormone. Brian McNamee, Clemens' longtime strength and conditioning coach, told jurors that he provided HGH to current Yankee pitcher Andy Pettitte and former Yankee infielder Chuck Knoblauch. McNamee also testified that former Yankee pitcher Mike Stanton obtained HGH from drug dealer Kirk Radomski, after McNamee put them in touch. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith, File)

Former Major League baseball trainer Brian McNamee leaves federal court in Washington, Monday, May 21, 2012, after testifying in the Roger Clemens perjury trial. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Star-struck at 11 when he saw pitching great Roger Clemens, a 25-year-old man became a witness for prosecutors seeking to convict the former baseball player of lying to Congress.

At issue was a 1998 gathering at player Jose Canseco's house that Clemens denied attending ? one of the false statements prosecutors allege Clemens made in his 2008 congressional deposition.

On Monday, Alexander Lowrey testified that he saw Clemens at the party. Prosecutors showed several photos of the former pitcher in attendance, including one of the 11-year-old Lowrey on the deck of the pool, next to a smiling Clemens standing in the shallow end of the water. The former pitcher's hair is bleach-blond, which is how Lowrey said he recalled it.

Lowrey said he had been invited to the party in south Florida by a handyman who worked for his family's business as well as Canseco. At the time, Clemens and Canseco were teammates with the Toronto Blue Jays. Lowrey said he played baseball back then and looked up to Clemens as "one of the best pitchers in the game."

Clemens' lawyer tried to play with the potentially faulty memory Lowrey might have of a party that happened more than a dozen years ago. Lowrey couldn't remember some details and said he had to estimate the times he arrived and left, but he said he had a clear memory of meeting Clemens and Canseco.

Brian McNamee, Clemens' longtime strength and conditioning coach, has said he saw Clemens and Canseco talking to a mysterious third person at the pool party, a person McNamee said he felt had a connection to steroids. McNamee said he first injected Clemens with steroids a few days later and continued to do so in 1998, 2000 and 2001. Clemens' denial at a 2008 House hearing and deposition of taking performance-enhancing drugs led to his indictment for lying to Congress.

Clemens, in his congressional deposition in February 2008, said, "I never was at the party." Later in the deposition, he said: "I wasn't here at this ? at a party that he had. I could have gone by there after a golf outing. So ? but I was not at this party."

Prosecutors tried to hammer the point by showing a video of Clemens testifying before Congress a few days later, where he says he might have dropped off at the party his wife or a relative who had golfed with him.

"But at the time of the day that I would have expressed it to be, I was on my way to the ballpark," he insisted. "I would have had to have gotten to the ballpark extremely early. I know one thing. I wasn't there having huddled up with somebody trying to do a drug deal. I know that for sure."

Over at the defense table, Clemens nodded ? as if in agreement with his previous statement.

McNamee, the only person to claim firsthand knowledge of Clemens using steroids and human growth hormone, finally got to name names in front of the jury: Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knoblauch and Mike Stanton.

Before Monday's session, he had not been allowed to say that he provided former Clemens teammates Pettitte and Knoblauch with human growth hormone, or that he helped ex-Clemens teammate Stanton obtain HGH from drug dealer Kirk Radomski. The judge had ruled that such information could prejudice the jury against Clemens.

But Hardin's grueling cross-examination tipped the balance in the other direction, prosecutors argued. Hardin suggested before the jury last week that McNamee had solely or primarily targeted Clemens, and that no one had been charged in connection with McNamee's accusations, raising the issue of McNamee's credibility.

U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton therefore ruled that McNamee could name Knoblauch and Stanton as receiving HGH in 2001 when they were with the New York Yankees, and Pettitte in 2002 when he was with the Yankees. The judge instructed the jury that the names could only be used to help establish McNamee's "credibility as a witness" and cannot be used to "infer Mr. Clemens' guilt."

McNamee's integrity and credibility were attacked relentlessly last week by Clemens' lawyer, and the government embarked on a rehabilitation job with its key witness during follow-up questioning Monday. McNamee also apologized for the medical condition that caused him to take frequent breaks. He came across as a sympathetic figure in the final moments of some 26 hours on the stand, a small counterweight to three days of brutal cross-examination.

With McNamee finished after five-plus days on the stand, prosecutors called a Miller-Coors manager to testify about the beer can McNamee says he used to store waste after an alleged steroids injection of Clemens in August 2001. The witness, Anthony Manuele, looking at markings on the bottom of the can, was able to confirm that it would have been on shelves between August 2001 and Nov. 15, 2001 ? coinciding with McNamee's timeframe.

Hardin, on cross-examination, needled prosecutors by asking Manuele, "You don't sell these beer cans to keep needles, do you?"

The judge sustained a government objection, but not before Manuele could answer, "No, sir."

Lawyers indicated to the judge that the government might wrap up its case this week, even though Tuesday will be a day off because of a conflict with Walton's schedule. Clemens lawyer Rusty Hardin then said he would need seven or eight days to present the defense's case. Both sides are working to finish before June 8, when further conflicts with Walton's schedule could cause the trial to go on recess for a month.

___

Associated Press writer Joseph White contributed to this report.

___

Follow Fred Frommer at http://twitter.com/ffrommer

Follow Joseph White at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

Associated Press

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How To Stay Safe When Doing Home Improvement | Honest ...

One of the most fun areas for doing home improvement is outside the house. There is nothing like working on your home when the weather is beautiful outside. Days with high humidity should probably be avoided, especially if the work you have to do is very laborious. A great looking lawn that is landscaped to perfection is the envy of all of your neighbors once it is complete. Dont worry because most of the time there is just a few hours of work to do. But of course it just depends on how ambitious you are and how hard you are willing to work.

The effects you can achieve with interior lighting projects can be intriguing. You can really change the whole ambiance of a room with the right kind of lighting. Part of the technique, though, is where you place the lights and how you position the light reflection. One potentially serious issue for the less experienced is running the wiring in the walls. It is unsightly to run the wires on the outside of the walls. The effort it may take to figure this out is well worth the effort. You can find plenty of information to help you. Electrical safety is extremely important. Its important to be safe and have a qualified person double check your work.

Many people like to start in the kitchen when they begin a remodeling project. Many people add in a new center counter with a sink so they can prepare food for their guests quickly and easily. Be careful not to spend too much money because many of the appliances are very expensive. Obviously the important concern here is to stay within your budget.

With so many companies competing against each other, youre bound to find a deal or two while searching for what you need. Anything you purchase should last several years, so it may be wise to spend a little more money so it does not have to be replaced too soon. By investing in your house in this way, you can greatly improve its appearance very quickly.

One improvement project that many people shy away from is bathroom remodeling because they do not understand why they should do it. Most of your remodeling money is simply not spent on the bathrooms in your house. Though it is not popular, many people do spend quite a bit of money remodeling their bathrooms.

Some will install additional showers so that each person can have their own. Many people have a fetish for glamorous and large sinks with vanities. You will more than likely be very picky with this particular room because it is more personal and private. Your remodel will be complete when you have properly examined how the installation process went for your bathtub and sink.

Always remember that safety is first when doing a project, so be prepared and dress appropriately. Never use anything sharp that is electric and rotates unless you have the proper safety gear on. When purchasing landscaping material, make sure that it accentuates all of the positive aspects of your home in every way possible.

Watch The Vampire Diaries Season 3 Episode 22 Finale Online

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Is screenwriting dead? | A ton of useful information about ...

On the podcast, Craig and I have discussed how much the career of screenwriting has changed over the past few years, and how it?s gotten harder for many feature writers to actually make a living at it.

In episode 35, a veteran screenwriter named Biff wrote in to vent about how grim studio development had become:

I had a president of production ask for a free rewrite before he gave it to his chairman. Not a polish. He had notes. True multi-week notes. That doesn?t strike me as a producer?s polish. That strikes me as flat-out abusive.

Has the landscape changed that much? Has the douchiness pervaded every level of the business? Have I turned into Clint Eastwood shouting get off my lawn?

A reader named Cordy wrote in to share his experience.


first personI?m a fairly new working writer. Screenwriting is paying my bills. I have a big-three agent, a name manager, many meetings, all the things I used to think would make it possible, if not easy, for me to have a career.

When I heard John reading Biff?s letter, my heart sank. I have to admit that I was secretly hoping you guys would be more like ?Quit yer whinin?!? because then I could be stern with myself and like ?Craig Mazin thinks my intensity is for shit. Win, Andrew, win!? but? this is pretty grim stuff.

I?ve seen Craig speak at the Guild, and he really inspired me to stop seeing myself as a victim of the capriciousness of people who control the pursestrings, and to try to be more upbeat and proactive about my career. So that?s cool. Not so cool is that even with my new attitude, I still run into some pretty tough roadblocks.

One example: At a pitch meeting at the studio I previously sold something to, I pitched out literally every scene, every arc, every relationship, specific jokes and set pieces, acting out whole chunks of dialog. This was for a remake of a movie that would cost the studio peanuts to make. I am not a business guy, but I think the risk level here was relatively low. When I was finished pitching, the executive frowned at me and said ?But why would people go see this movie instead of staying home? What makes this movie a big hit? You have to understand, that?s what my boss will ask me if I pitch this to him.?

So that project just died on the vine. I didn?t lose the job to anyone, they just killed it. I have struggled to frame this kind of thing for myself as an opportunity.

But I keep bumping against that executive?s question: how can I guarantee that what I?m pitching will be a big hit? I don?t think that I can, but that seems to be what people want. If I can?t magically say, ?Yes, here is my crystal ball, it outperforms THE HUNGER GAMES, don?t worry about it,? they just shut me down.

It reminds me of that apocryphal story of the early days of Sony, when the Japanese executives were like, ?Your problem is that you keep making bombs. From now on, we?re only going to make the hit movies.?

As a screenwriter, it feels like I am being asked to perform an impossible feat, and it?s easy to slip into bitterness.

But I don?t want to be bitter. I do want to do decent work and do okay financially and be able to support my family. Is there still a way for young screenwriters to build semi-steady careers, or is that paradigm gone forever? I know a lot of young writers in my general boat, and to be honest I think all of us are trying to get out of features and into TV.

There?s also a lot of dazed talk about how screenwriting as a job is just dead, Jim.

I don?t want to believe that. I want to believe that this thing I?ve spent my young adult life getting good at ? and I am good at it ? can still be made to pay a modest living if I work hard and make smart choices.

Should I act more as a ?producer? of my own career? I write specs, and recently optioned some material. I am trying to get into TV.

Should I try to get involved with directors, and write him or her a project for free, in hopes that having a filmmaker attached will help? I have explored this a bit and found that there?s a roadblock here, too: directors who mean something as attachments can get brand-name writers to work for them. I know several writers, more established than I am, who are doing free work for A/B list directors right now.

There must be a way to break in to that. (I can?t believe I am scheming to do free fauxssignment work, but here I am.)

I do discuss all these things with my reps, who are smart people I trust. But I don?t think they have the answers. They just encourage me to write specs.

It seems like this seismic shift has happened so quickly and has left so many people behind that we?re all paddling frantically against the undertow.

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