Wildfire chases thousands out of Calif. forest

Gene Blevins / Reuters

An air tanker flies through thick smoke rising from the hills above San Gabriel mountains as a brush fire rages in the Angeles National Forest on Sunday.

By NBC News staff and wire reports

A Southern California brushfire that was only five percent contained grew to 3,600 acres late Sunday, authorities said, forcing thousands of weekend campers to cut short their visits to the popular Angeles National Forest.

The blaze, which broke out near a campground Sunday afternoon, sent a huge cloud of smoke that could be seen from the coast to the desert inland, according to The Associated Press.


Forest spokeswoman L'Tanga Watson told the AP that campgrounds that typically attract up to 12,000 visitors on the three-day holiday weekend, as well as rehabilitation centers and the private community of Camp Williams Resort, above the city of Glendora, were evacuated.

The fire has been labeled the "Williams fire" after the resort, which is located in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Heavily-used recreation area
The 640,000-acre Angeles National Forest is located near populated areas and consequently is heavily used, especially on holiday weekends.

Local reports said that law enforcement during holiday weekends has long been a challenge in the Angeles National Forest.

In addition to overnight campers, the forest attracts hikers and prospectors panning for gold in the East Fork of the San Gabriel River, despite prohibitions on such mining.

Visitors are frequently cited by forest rangers for building illegal bonfires, local reports said.

Officials said that no structures were threatened, according to Inciweb, a wildfire reporting site. Based on the direction the blaze is heading, no structures were expected to be under threat, the site said.

According to the Los Angeles Times, around 300 firefighters have been sent to combat the blaze. Air tankers and helicopters were also being used to drop water and fire retardant on the blaze, the newspaper said.

Full US News coverage on NBCNews.com

By late Sunday, the fire was pushing north on steep terrain toward the Sheep Mountain Wilderness, the Times reported.

Fleeing the flames
Maritza Martinez told NBC Los Angeles that she fled the area when she noticed smoke.

"When we came up, we noticed a whole bunch of smoke and we started to notice something is burning and little by little the smoke started to grow," according NBCLosAngeles.com.

"My little sister was like, 'Let's go! Let's go!,'" she said.

More on this story from NBC Los Angeles

For Catharine Vega, the blaze meant her holiday weekend trip was cut short.

"I've never seen a real fire except on TV," she told NBC Los Angeles. "We stopped to see, and we saw actual flames and it was scary because we didn't know what to do."

She added:?"You come here to enjoy and we were having fun."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/03/13632511-wildfire-grows-chases-thousands-out-of-southern-calif-forest?lite

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Mobile Marketing Advice That You Can Trust

Mobile marketing can give businesses the opportunity to grow their audience and expose their brand to a wider range of individuals. Just about everyone owns some sort of mobile or other connected devices such as tablets.

Do all the research you can on your audience. Before you make assumptions and put a lot of money into mobile marketing efforts, make sure you analyze your audience and their preferences. Do they prefer cell phones over computers? What mobile platform is their cell phone? Find out as much as you can so you can make a better connection with your audience.

If you truly want your mobile marketing plan to succeed, keep your messages limited in number, and make sure each one extends an offer of significant value to the customer. Make sure your customers can trust you, do not go overboard with messages they will be annoyed.

When it comes to mobile content, it is best to use the least amount of words you need to get your point across. Long articles and pages that were written to add more keywords in are ineffective. Brevity is the crux of mobile marketing communications.

Mobile marketing should be developed one step after another for best results. You should also do this. In the course of expanding your marketing network and your social networking circle, you can progress through text to voice to video communication. Use everything you have available to you.

Work for your target market. You should understand what your customers need and use that premise as your basic mobile marketing advertisement. If you are unable to determine what consumers want, you are unlikely to win their business. Find out more about your audience to answer their needs.

Use your own webpage to your advantage. It?s very helpful to advertise mobile sites and apps from a popular traditional website. Whenever a customer browses your conventional site, they will be delighted to learn that they can communicate with your company while they are out and about.

Make your mobile marketing messages compatible with as many platforms as possible. Be sure your messages display well on all platforms: Android devices, Blackberry, and iPhone. You can simplify messages easier than you can create different custom fit ones for various platforms. The KISS principle is in full effect in mobile marketing.

Make your emails mobile friendly so that they are effective. Let them click a phone number to make a call instantly. If you send them a website link, make sure it looks good on a phone. The easier your emails are to read from a cell phone, the more valuable people will see you.

You will get the best results from dedicated short code. It may cost more up-front, but the additional protection it gives your brand can be priceless. It offers some legal protection for you as well.

Make sure that any mobile apps your company releases deliver a service your customers want. If the app serves no discernible purpose or function, it is unlikely to garner attention from any of your prospective or existing customers.

Mobile marketing is a great way to increase your profits. More people than ever are downloading apps and using social networking sites on their smart-phones. These excellent ideas can help you advertise your business on the forefront of technology. You need to bring your marketing to where the customers are.

Mobile marketing is a growing trend. As more consumers use these devices, more businesses will tap into the market. Very soon, nearly everyone on the planet will have a mobile gizmo of some kind, and it is an audience waiting for you. Apply the tips from this article, and you will be ahead of the competition. You will also be able to communicate effectively with your customers. Best of luck to you

Source: http://www.981media.com/mobile-marketing-advice-that-you-can-trust-2

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Walmart Is Testing A Scan-And-Go iPhone App ... - Business Insider

In Rogers Arkansas, Walmart recently asked employees and their friends with iPhones to test out a new self scan-and-go app. It's one of a few mobile initiatives Walmart is working on that could one day replace or aid its many cashiers.

The test was put together by Walmart Labs. The app let employees scan items on their phones but not pay on the devices. Instead the app transferred all scanned items to a self-checkout kiosk.

But Walmart has said it's working on a mobile payment network with other retailers that could rival current solutions like Google Wallet.

Walmart spokesman David Tovar tells Reuters the company is "continually testing new and innovative ways to serve customers and enhance the shopping experience in our stores."

Walmart's US stores spend about $12 millions on cashier wages per second, so an app like this could save the company a lot of money.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-is-testing-a-scan-and-go-iphone-app-that-could-replace-cashiers-2012-9

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Skip the groomer. 3 pricey pet services to do yourself.

We spend an average $875 per year on our pets, according to the ASPCA. Cut your costs by taking charge in grooming, training, and basic maintenance.

By Angela Colley,?Guest blogger / September 1, 2012

Don Sparling bathes his 209-pound English Mastiff, Charlie, in his back yard in Poplar Bluff, Mo.,in this May 2012 file photo. Bathing and grooming your dog yourself can save you an estimated $190 per year.

Paul Davis/Daily American Republic/AP/File

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?m the proud owner of a stubborn dog who?s a little too smart for her own good. She?s definitely?the alpha dog in my house, and she knows it. As I?m writing this, she?s strutting around my home office like she pays the rent.

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Except she doesn?t pay the rent ? I do. I also pay for all her other expenses, which, according to the ASPCA?s Pet Care Costs chart, is about $875 a year.

So while I probably can?t do anything about my pup?s attitude problem, I can do something about the cost of giving her highness a good and healthy life.

The two biggest ways I?ve found to save on her costs is by not paying for the services I can do myself. Here?s what I?ve cut out ?

1. Training

Professional trainers and training classes get expensive. Costhelper, a site that compares people?s average costs, has this to say about it:

  • Cost of group classes - $45 to $125 average
  • Cost of private trainers - $30 to $100 per hour, $240 to $600 for six sessions average
  • Obedience boarding school - $950 to $2,500 average

Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on training, I trained my dog at home free. And if I can train a giant, stubborn dog to stay when she?s told, anyone can. I learned all of my training techniques online. Here are a few sites worth visiting:

  • WebMD Pets ? The pet section of WebMD has great one-minute training videos featuring a certified dog trainer. You won?t learn everything you need to know, but it?s helpful to watch the techniques in action.
  • Petfinder ? Petfinder has a training section that covers everything from behavioral problems to basic dog tricks.
  • Perfect Paws ? Perfect Paws has a ton of helpful articles on positive reinforcement training. They also have a section on how to train cats.

2. Nail clipping

When I first adopted my dog, I was terrified to cut her nails, convinced I would cut into the quick and cause unnecessary pain and a lot of bleeding. So I had the vet cut them ? for $43 each session. When that got too expensive, I started visiting a local groomer who charged $5 per nail, or $20 per session. But even at the reduced rate, six visits a year cost $120.

So I learned to trim my dog?s nails myself. The first try didn?t go too well ? there was some snarling and lots of apologies ? but after viewing a few how-to videos and reading some extremely helpful articles from the ASPCA, I now expertly cut my dog?s nails myself and save that money.

Before you start, check out the?Nail Care article from the ASPCA that covers all of the basics you need to know, including buying supplies, proper trimming amounts, and how to handle fear in your dog. Then watch a comprehensive how-to video from the Self-Help Dog Training Blog to get the technique down .

3. Grooming

The American Kennel Club surveyed 1,000 of its online visitors on dog ownership costs. On average, respondents spent $190 a year on grooming.

While I wouldn?t suggest shaving a dog yourself (unless you have experience), you can easily?give Fido a bath and eliminate the need for a groomer. I bathe and brush my dog myself using a $7 bottle of shampoo and a $10 professional brush I bought from a groomer. I go through three bottles of shampoo a year. Counting the brush, I spent $31 on supplies the first year, a savings of $159 over a professional groomer.

For help and advice, check out:

  • Grooming FAQ from the ASPCA
  • How to Groom a Dog from Beneful
  • Grooming Your Dog?s Hair with Clippers from Dummies.com

By learning to do those three things myself, I save about $400 per year ? enough to pay for my dog?s pricey organic food for almost seven months, or buy dozens of toys and handmade treats from the doggie bakery in my neighborhood. I could even do something really crazy and spend some of that money on myself!

Angela Colley is a writer for Money Talks News, a consumer/personal finance TV news feature that airs in about 80 cities as well as around the Web. This column first appeared in Money Talks News.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Cis34ibBj9M/Skip-the-groomer.-3-pricey-pet-services-to-do-yourself

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Spend Less On Car Maintenance By Using Automotive ...

Every once in awhile we run into some kind of car trouble. When your car runs into trouble, you look to find out what is wrong and figure out where to get it fixed. You will find a method online that can help you with the diagnosis of your problems. It is called ATS or Automotive Troubleshooting Secrets, and it is is an On-line program to help you repair your automotive problems. The problem is sorted out by a real mechanic online rather than a robot or software application.: http://www.topautotransportcompanies.com.

You will be able to understand what is wrong with your automobile by going over the symptoms with the mechanic. You are certain to get useful feedback and drawings that are simple to understand. You can get valuable information regarding automotive repairs that is very current with just a click of a button. With the most up-to-date methods, you can easily solve the issue with your car. Irrespective of what auto mechanic does the repair, ATS will evaluate the work done on your vehicle.
You will discover skilled technicians who are ready to solve your car troubles and there is a massive database of garage repair information and automotive software at ATS. Once the fixes are examined, they get emailed to you.

The perfect method of fixing your car problem will undoubtedly be properly researched and evaluated. With their big database of repair information, they can combine wiring diagrams and common fixes and figure out what parts are causing the problem using secret techniques. Some of the troubleshooters are actually retired engineers and mechanics who understand the different systems and can analyze the problems very well. When your concern is complicated and hard to repair, the technicians will be able to help you do a scan using a scanner that many top garages use. ATS has belief in their system by offering a lifetime membership with a one time payment, and a 90 day money back guarantee.

ATS is so good mainly because it is so easy to use. Because they can help you determine what the actual problem is, when you take it for repairs, it?s going to probably cost less. How to handle it if you test your vehicle that was repaired, and it wasn?t fixed. Tips on how to readily analyze problems, such as no-starts, hesitations, and stalling with drawings, giving you solutions that are quick and practical.

With ATS, they will likely explain to you how to repair small problems before they get out of control. Any person can make use of ATS, even if you are a garage owner or an auto mechanic, and you will get unlimited support until your car is fixed in car moving service.

To be a mechanic just isn?t something most people are qualified to be, but having the information to know if your mechanic is being honest with you, would be valuable to have. ATS could save you lots of time and money as well as headaches. Hopefully, you will not have many car problems but if you do, you know there is a place online that can help you.

Source: http://www.locosporlatele.net/1559-spend-less-on-car-maintenance-by-using-automotive-troubleshooting-secrets

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Are You Branding YOU or Your Network Marketing Company | Mark ...

Are You Branding YOU or Your Network Marketing Company

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Source: http://markbustamonte.com/marketing-strategies/are-you-branding-you-or-your-network-marketing-company/

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Mind-controlled quadrotor drone could one day help the paralyzed fly

OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - Washington state regulators have warned a Roman Catholic bishop that his diocese risks running afoul of state campaign finance laws if he follows through with a planned fund-raising effort opposing same-sex marriage on the November ballot. State law prohibits organizations, including churches, from raising money from individuals to give to political campaigns, said Lori Anderson, a spokeswoman for the state's Public Disclosure Commission. "It's not because it's a church. It's because it's not a stand-alone individual," Anderson said on Thursday. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/mind-controlled-quadrotor-drone-could-one-day-help-065229181.html

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Tutu: Bush, Blair should face trial at the Hague

FILE - Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his part in fighting apartheid, speaks during a felicitation event for him in Dharmsala, India, in this Feb. 10, 2012 file photo. Archbishop Desmond Tutu in an op-ed piece in the Observer Sunday Sept. 2, 2012 has called for Tony Blair and George Bush to be hauled before an international criminal court and delivered a damning critique of the physical and moral devastation caused by the Iraq war. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)

FILE - Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his part in fighting apartheid, speaks during a felicitation event for him in Dharmsala, India, in this Feb. 10, 2012 file photo. Archbishop Desmond Tutu in an op-ed piece in the Observer Sunday Sept. 2, 2012 has called for Tony Blair and George Bush to be hauled before an international criminal court and delivered a damning critique of the physical and moral devastation caused by the Iraq war. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair smiles as he delivers a speech during a meeting of the Competitive Brazil Movement, MBC, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

(AP) ? Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu called Sunday for Tony Blair and George Bush to face prosecution at the International Criminal Court for their role in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq

Tutu, the retired Anglican Church's archbishop of South Africa, wrote in an op-ed piece for The Observer newspaper that the ex-leaders of Britain and the United States should be made to "answer for their actions."

The Iraq war "has destabilized and polarized the world to a greater extent than any other conflict in history," wrote Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel prize in 1984.

"Those responsible for this suffering and loss of life should be treading the same path as some of their African and Asian peers who have been made to answer for their actions in the Hague," he added.

The Hague, Netherlands, based court is the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal and has been in operation for 10 years. So far it has launched prosecutions only in Africa, including in Sudan, Congo, Libya and Ivory Coast.

Tutu has long been a staunch critic of the Iraq war, while others opposed to the conflict ? including playwright Harold Pinter ? have previously called for Bush and Blair to face prosecution at the Hague.

"The then-leaders of the U.S. and U.K. fabricated the grounds to behave like playground bullies and drive us further apart. They have driven us to the edge of a precipice where we now stand ? with the specter of Syria and Iran before us," said Tutu, who last week withdrew from a conference in South Africa due to Blair's presence at the event.

While the International Criminal Court can handle cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, it does not currently have the jurisdiction to prosecute crimes of aggression. Any potential prosecution over the Iraq war would likely come under the aggression category.

The U.S. is among nations which do not recognize the International Criminal Court.

In response to Tutu, Blair said he had great respect for the archbishop's work to tackle apartheid in South Africa, but accused him of repeating inaccurate criticisms of the Iraq war.

"To repeat the old canard that we lied about the intelligence is completely wrong as every single independent analysis of the evidence has shown," Blair said. "And to say that the fact that Saddam (deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein) massacred hundreds of thousands of his citizens is irrelevant to the morality of removing him is bizarre."

However, Blair said that "in a healthy democracy people can agree to disagree."

In Britain, a two-year long inquiry examining the buildup to the Iraq war and its conduct is yet to publish its final report. The panel took evidence from political leaders including Blair, military chiefs and intelligence officers. Two previous British studies into aspects of the war cleared Blair's government of wrongdoing.

The Iraq war was bitterly divisive in the U.K. and saw large public demonstrations. However, Blair subsequently won a 2005 national election, though with a reduced majority.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-09-02-Britain-Blair/id-cd3eead7c9cd425b885ff999648a1e94

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Timothy_Hughes: Apple, Samsung and why gadgets all look the same - BBC News - http://t.co/iS2OTX4L

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