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China New Passports Territorial disputes are becoming a worrying factor in 21st century China's geopolitical life, as we saw recently when anti-Japanese sentiment over a string of islands in the East China Sea boiled over into widespread and violent protests in Chinese cities.

As such, many may be disheartened to hear the news that newly issued Chinese passports apparently contain a subtle, yet undeniable references to territorial disputes ? and it hasn't gone unnoticed.

Three separate pages in the passport include China's so-called "nine-dash" map of the sea, first published in 1947, which shows Chinese territory extending hundreds of miles south from China's Hainan Island to the equatorial waters off the coast of Borneo. The image on the right, via Weibo user Roger Army, shows the map.

The problem is that this map includes the Spratly island chain, currently the subject overlapping territorial claims by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. The Philippines have announced they "strongly protest" China's decision to include the map, while Vietnam has lodged a formal complaint, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

That's not the only issue. Taiwan, also included in the map, has protested, while India, in a tit-for-tat move after their own disputed regions were included on the map, have began stamping their own versions of the map onto passports for Chinese citizens.

Passports are an especially difficult area for diplomatic disputes like this, as another nation's stamp could be taken as a seal of approval on the map. In the past, China itself has stapled passports rather than stamped them in a bid to get around this problem, the Washington Post reports.

There is one small glimmer of hope, however ? the map does not include the islands in the East China Sea that are claimed by China and Japan.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-new-passport-maps-disputes-2012-11

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2012-11-23 03:49:02 GMT2012-11-23 11:49:02(Beijing Time) ?SINA.com

By Mei Jingya, Sina English

In a posting on its "take action" blog this week, Internet search engine Google calls on netizens to protest against UN regulations on Internet.

AFP reported on Nov.22 that Google is set to block a UN telecom gathering set to review regulations pertinent to the internet. During the gathering, China and Russia will propose putting Internet regulation under the control of UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

In response, Google said the UN meeting is "the wrong place" to make decisions about the future of the Web.

A Russian newspaper said Thursday the ITU World Conference on International Communications, opening in Dubai on December 3, will discuss a set of revised rules and regulations supported by Russia and China, both calling for tighter Internet control and censor content related to terrorism, extremism and secessionism. India and some other countries also voiced support for the proposal.

A Russian Internet expert said Internet control has nothing to do with freedom of speech, and authorities have the right to stop the spread of content related to terrorism. AFP pointed out that some countries see this conference as an opportunity to set up new rules for the internet .

In September 2011, countries including Russia and China submitted a letter at the UN General Assembly outlining a proposal for an International Code of Conduct for Information Security, hoping the international community could reach an early agreement on the issue.

According to the proposal, no countries should use the Internet to make trouble or threat that might undermine international peace and security, and each nation has the responsibility to protect its domestic information network and cyberspace from attack.

It also calls for a multilateral approach within the framework of the United Nations to establish international norms and settle disputes about cyberspace. China and Russia?s proposal was opposed by some countries and companies.

Google, in the name of safeguarding internet freedom and openness, led the criticism of the proposal.

On the ?Take Action? blog, Google said in a statement: ?The Internet has connected more than two billion people around the world. Some governments want to use a closed-door meeting in December to increase censorship and regulate the Internet. Join together to keep the Internet free and open.

Two other companies boycotting the ITU conference, Stop Online Piracy and Fight for the Future and Reality, also warned the UN will close the door to Internet freedom.

Some protesters said if the UN unit takes over internet control, the cyberspace will be under close watch of an organized, old-fashioned and government-centered organization and censorship would be legalized.

Washington refused to hand over Internet control to the UN. Terry Kramer, head of the U.S. delegation to the upcoming UN telecom treaty-writing conference, said the US wants a successful World Conference on International Telecommunications but if other delegates to the conference attempt to expand the U.N. International Telecommunication Union's telecom regulations to the Internet, "we might as well not waste our time."

Talking Points Memo (TPM) said Republican senators demanded the US delegation take a hard line stance on the issue and unite allies to fight for Internet freedom.

At present, several non-profit organizations in charge of Internet norms and domain names are controlled by Washington despite they keep a distance from the US government.

Given the increasingly important role of Internet, more and more countries are questioning US? control of the online sphere. They think international resources should not be monopolized by one country. According to leaded documents, Russia proposes the ITU should participate, at least partially, in the distribution of domain names.

Agenda of the Dubai conference is still kept secret, and it remains a question whether delegates could reach an agreement on updating Internet norms.

?

Source: http://english.sina.com/business/2012/1122/529882.html

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Online marketing can complement or replace other marketing methods such as TV ads or billboards. If you?re a business owner and wish to learn more about Internet marketing, read on.

A well-designed website is fundamental to online marketing success. Regularly check your website for bad links, glitches and broken graphics, and eliminate them immediately. When a visitor finds navigation challenging, your products become less important.

Build an email list as a pertinent resource. You could require an email address when purchases are made, or place an enlistment form right on your website. However you accomplish this, the list will be used to inform customers of future sales and promotions or to request feedback.

If you are a good writer, try writing articles with your business information and submit them to magazines and websites that accept article submissions. Include your website information along with all your business information. Attempt talking to editors and try offering them affiliate commissions and freebies as a way to have your articles published.

Hold events and promotions to attract traffic. For example, you could give away an ebook free for one day only. People who visit your website for the item on sale may wind up buying other items from you. They may even make another purchase while they are there picking up their cheap e-book.

A business telephone number should be available to you from the majority of cellphone companies. Make certain that you get yourself a number.

Keep This In Mind A good internet marketing strategy should always include giving your customers a money back guarantee if something is not right. You will gain credibility with your customers and begin to develop a sense of trust as well.

Don?t forget to use emphasis formatting options when creating your website?s content. You can make words and phrases stand out by underlining them, italicizing them or making them bold. You can distinguish how customers see a certain message, and it can clarify what you?re saying.

It seems impressive when people see that you have profiles on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and a bunch of other social networking sites, but you need to keep adding information to make your profiles stay fresh. Profiles that collect virtual dust are often considered spam.

Look at Internet promotion as something fun and not something that is a job or big chore. You should start by educating yourself about Online marketing and launching your first online business as a hobby.

If you are using email marketing, you need to rotate links that are included in your correspondence. By keeping the links in the same spots, your customers will start to ignore them. You can keep your customers attention by changing up your e-mail links on a regular basis.

Keep This In Mind If you are running sales or offers, let customers know about them through coupons sent along with products they order. Many people look at the coupons with gratitude and as an added incentive to go back to a website and make more purchases.

Elevating your website above its peers is what Affiliate marketing is all about. With so many websites on the Internet, you need to stand out to succeed. A good method for doing that is showing off a service you offer that others do not.

To grab the right domain name, you should be willing to spend some money. It is likely that you will not be able to find a perfect match between your domain name and your business. You will have to spend around 2k to get a name that is close.

Ultimately, online marketing is about recognizing a problem and fixing it. It is important to address problems first thing in the day. Helping people solve their issues with your product or service is how word of mouth generates business.

Try to get notable and respected people within your industry to give testimonials or advice on your site. Always get written permission before you publish any of this content. You can type up the transcripts and publish them on E-zine. This will help drive traffic and sales to your site as well as boost your credibility.

Keep This In Mind Being listed with Google is vital to achieve successful internet marketing. Focus on the most popular search engines, and optimize your site with keywords your target audience will look up.

In conclusion, you can use Internet marketing to help your business. Web marketing can be used rather than traditional methods of promotion, such as TV and print ads. Follow the tips from this article, and you?ll soon have Internet promotion working for you!

Source: http://www.forestglencomputers.com/marketing/internet-marketing/what-you-can-do-to-achieve-internet-marketing-success.html

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Shoppers stand in line outside a Best Buy department store before the store's opening at midnight for a Black Friday sale, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012, in Arlington, Texas. Despite a surge of resistance as the sales drew near, with scolding editorials and protests by retail employees and reminders of frantic tramplings past, Black Friday's grip on America may have been proven stronger than ever. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

In this Nov. 21, 2012, photo, Black Friday shoppers Ryan Seech, right, Dylan Loeb, center, and Dalas Loeb, left, stake out their front of the line position at a Best Buy in West Mifflin, Pa. The Childhood friends have camped out at Best Buy for four years straight. This year, they arrived a full week early, with a tent, sleeping bags, deodorizing mist sprayer, propane heater and battery power for their gadgets. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Shoppers rummage through a pile of sweaters on sale at a J.C. Penney store, Friday, Nov. 23, 2012, in Las Vegas. Despite a surge of resistance as the sales drew near, with scolding editorials and protests by retail employees and reminders of frantic tramplings past, Black Friday's grip on America may be stronger than ever. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Karen Jefferson, left, chats with Michelle Phan as they wait outside a Best Buy store in Raleigh, N.C., on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. The two had been camped out since Wednesday evening, missing Thanksgiving dinners with family in hopes of getting great deals on flat-screen televisions. (AP Photo/Allen Breed)

A crowd gathers as security guards break up a fight between shoppers waiting in line just as the doors open for Black Friday shopping at Target, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012, in Bowling Green, Ky. Despite a surge of resistance as the sales drew near, with scolding editorials and protests by retail employees and reminders of frantic tramplings past, Black Friday's grip on America may be stronger than ever. (AP Photo/Daily News, Alex Slitz)

BEAVER FALLS, Pa. (AP) ? Gravy was still warm. Dallas Cowboys were still in uniform. Thanks were still being given across the country as the pilgrimages to the stores began, heralding a new era of American consumerism.

Lured by earlier-than-ever Black Friday sales, people left Grandma and Grandpa in search of Samsung and Toshiba. They did not go blindly: In dozens of interviews, people acknowledged how spending has become inseparable from the holidays. Older folks pined for the days of Erector Sets and Thumbelinas while in line to pay iPad prices. Even some younger shoppers said it felt wrong to be spending money instead of quality time on Thanksgiving.

"But we're still out here," said Kelly Jackson, a paralegal who was standing inside a Best Buy store in the Pittsburgh suburbs, a 32-inch television ($189) in her cart. It was a consolation prize: Despite four hours on line, she missed the cheaper 40-inchers ($179) that she had heard about while listening to Internet radio.

Jackson's resignation was common among those who flocked to capitalism's temples for the consumer equivalent of genuflecting. Many said that this Black Friday bled into Thursday crossed a line, that merchants should not intrude like this. Christmas is about the message of Jesus, the feeling went ? not about the gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Yet amid these protests, people still talked about feeling powerless beneath the moment ? as if they had no choice but to shop.

"You have to have these things to enjoy your children and your family," said Jackson's friend Ebony Jones, who had secured two laptops ($187.99 each) for her 7 and 11 year olds.

Why must we buy? To demonstrate our love for others? To add a few more inches to our televisions? To help America recover from a vicious recession that itself was born of the desire for more?

Such questions make Jones wince. "It shouldn't be that way, but in a sense there's no way around it," said Jones, a nurse. "Everything ends up with a dollar amount. Even your happiness."

Retailers have long capitalized on the holiday season's perfect storm of emotion and tradition. "We all want to be loved, we all like to give love," says Roger Beahme, director of the Center for Retail Innovation at the Wake Forest Schools of Business. Through a flood of advertising on TV, radio and newspapers, he says, retailers can create emotions.

"Will Rogers said it's the art of convincing people to spend money they don't have on something they don't need," Beahme says. Although advertising can serve useful purposes, he says, "there's some truth to that."

Many embrace the feeling ? and have, in accelerating ways, for a generation and more. Without legions of believers, Black Friday never would have gotten this bold. Despite a surge of resistance as the sales drew near, with scolding editorials and protests by retail employees and reminders of frantic tramplings past, Black Friday's grip on America may have been proven stronger than ever this year.

"It's all part of the holiday ? part of the tradition," said Dennis River, a truck driver who was in line for a television at the Walmart in Beaver Falls, a small community outside of Pittsburgh. Last year, he went out alone at midnight Thursday. This year, he brought his wife and daughter. They were in place by 7 p.m.

"You get up in the morning, cook, do your dinner and your football, then you go shopping," River said. "It's the new thing now. Everyone's afraid of change."

"If they wanna have sales today," he said, "I'm gonna go shopping today."

Walmart's cavernous store is always open, but the deals began at 8 p.m. As with most big retail stores, a police car was parked near the Beaver Falls store entrance. A uniformed officer was at the door, near a stand holding maps to "featured products" such as bikes, cookware, sheets, video game consoles, and eight different TVs.

The witching hour approached. Yellow CAUTION tape cordoned off the bargains and funneled a few thousand supplicants through aisles of ignored items ? yarn, shower curtains, party hats, clocks. Balloons printed with dollar signs followed by low numbers floated above the treasures.

As the cell phones struck eight, a din arose. Excited voices mixed with the sound of boxes dropping into metal shopping carts. The balloons danced as people dug into stacks of leather ottomans ($29) and 5-by-5 foot bins of $5 DVDs.

The temperature climbed. An old man inched through the throng using a folding chair ($11.88) as a crutch. Traffic jammed. Complaints and a few curses echoed.

"I'm not an angry person, but I was angry for the 20 minutes I was in there," Danyel Coyne, a college student, said as she loaded a child booster seat ($12.98) into her trunk.

She and her boyfriend, Mike Yanke, had not come to shop. They needed a spare car seat to take Yanke's daughter back to Pittsburgh. Yet Yanke still had bought a red, battery-powered convertible ($129) at his dad's request.

"I wouldn't say Black Friday has taken over," said Dave Davies, a music producer who was part of the national parade of TVs (his was 50 inches and $399). "Shopping IS the holiday. That's all people care about ? what are you gonna get?"

For some, the items themselves can even take a back seat to the simple act of shopping.

Childhood friends Jesse Bredholt, Ryan Seech and a few other buddies have camped out at Best Buy for four years straight. This year, they arrived a full week early, with a tent, sleeping bags, deodorizing mist sprayer, propane heater and battery power for their gadgets.

They had no idea what they would buy. That was not the point.

For this group of single men in their early 20s, part of a generation who mark the passage of time by their first cell phones and video games, the point is spending time with each other at the source of the products that have always defined their lives.

"Our family is here," said Bredholt, who works for a health-care company. "With five guys on one mattress, you gotta be family."

Karen Jefferson, 49, also has found family on line at Best Buy, beyond her husband and three children. She was there Wednesday, seated on a folding chair, clutching a rolled-up circular.

"I'm missing Thanksgiving, and my husband thinks I'm crazy," said Jefferson, who works at a mortgage insurance company. "But I do this every year . because I enjoy meeting people and the people that come when I do. I mean, you see the same people year after year. And I do get some very good deals."

What about studies that have shown better deals are available at other times of the year?

"Oh, really?" Jefferson said. "You just think, Black Friday! Oh, my gosh, that's the deal of the year."

"Maybe that's something I need to look into," she continued. "Because, I mean, if these aren't good deals, then what are we DOING then?"

__

Jesse Washington can be reached at http://twitter.com/jessewashington or jwashington(at)ap.org.

___

AP National Writer Allen Breed in Raleigh, N.C., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-11-23-Black%20Friday%20Eats%20Thanksgiving/id-22faca7888b641d0b419e987b90f310f

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1 day

JeeYeon Park , CNBC

Stocks closed higher in thin, choppy trading Wednesday ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, after a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, but some mixed economic reports and worries over Greece put a limit on gains.

The market will be closed on Thursday for Thanksgiving and will be open for a shortened session on Friday.?

The?Dow Jones Industrial Average?rose 48.38 points, or 0.38 percent, to end at 12,836.89, led by?Hewlett-Packard, after trading in a tight 60-point range all day.?DuPont?led the blue-chip laggards.

The?S&P 500?added 3.22 points, or 0.23 percent, to close at 1,391.03. The?Nasdaq?gained 9.87 points, or 0.34 percent, to finish at 2,926.55. Both the S&P and Nasdaq ended higher for the fourth-straight session.

The CBOE Volatility Index, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, ended above 15.

Most key S&P sectors ended in positive territory, led by?telecoms?and?energy.

Egypt announced a?cease-fire agreement?to end fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The cease-fire took effect at 2pm ET.?Oil prices closed off their highs?following the news.

Stocks finished largely unchanged in the previous session as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's negative comments on the looming "fiscal cliff" added to ongoing worries.?

Policymakers are not expected to return to negotiations until next week.

?We have this vacuum on the 'fiscal cliff'???that?s a mild positive under the market. Then Congress comes back next week so there might be some untoward comments,? said Art Cashin, director of floor operations at UBS Financial Services. ?There?s a mild upward historic bias to today and also the abbreviated session on Friday.?

Euro zone finance ministers failed to finalize the details of a debt-reduction package for Greece before the close of their meeting.

Still,?European shares reversed their initial losses to close higher?after Reuters reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had told lawmakers at a closed-door meeting that lower interest rates and an expanded European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) could fill?Greece's financing gap.

Hewlett-Packard?rose after plunging nearly 12 percent in the previous session following an?$8.8 billion writedown?related to its purchase of Autonomy last year. Still, at least three brokerages lowered their price target on the company, while another two cut their rating.?

Among earnings,?Deere?fell after the equipment maker?missed earnings expectations, though revenue exceeded consensus. Deere said it is seeing continued strength in demand for large equipment, but did note caution surrounding its U.S. livestock and dairy markets.

Salesforce.com?soared to lead the S&P 500 gainers after the enterprise cloud computing company edged past earnings expectations and boosted its full-year 2013 revenue.

Scholastic?plunged nearly 20 percent after the children's book publisher cut its guidance for the fiscal year amid lower sales in its high-margin educational business.

St. Jude Medical?tumbled to lead the S&P 500 laggards after an inspection report from the FDA cited flaws in the medical device maker's oversight of design changes in its Durata line of implantable defibrillator leads. Wells Fargo lowered its rating on the stock to "market perform." Meanwhile, rival?Boston Scientific?rallied.

On the economic front, consumer sentiment rose to 82.7, according to the Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey. Still, the reading was below projections for 84.5, according to a Reuters poll.

Weekly jobless claims?fell to 410,000, according to the Labor Department, matching expectations from Reuters, but the report was still distorted by Hurricane Sandy.

And the leading economic indicator?edged up in October, according to the Conference Board, pointing to modest economic expansion growth in the near term.

Meanwhile, U.S. manufacturing grew at its fastest pace in five months in November, according to financial information firm Markit's U.S. "flash" manufacturing PMI.

Weekly mortgage applications?eased last week?as interest rates ticked higher, though demand for new loans improved, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/stocks-log-4-day-win-streak-ahead-holiday-1C7206754

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This is the second in a series of stories about Maui. I hope you enjoy traveling with me to the ?Valley Isle? and experiencing all that the Hawaiian island has to offer!

Most times, the only way I experience a place by air is when I fly in. But not during my recent trip to Maui! During the week I was on the magical island, I had the chance to experience the island by air ? in three different ways!

By zip-line:

I?ve been zip-lining a few times now, the first with my parents in Alaska and again in Denver this summer, and I always take advantage whenever I have the chance. And Maui was no different! GoZip Maui does things a little different than I?d done in the past, and was it ever fun! Rather than having to use my gloved hand to brake prior to gliding into the platform, their gear did all the work ? all I had to do was sit back, relax and take in the views. And what incredible views they were!

The course I went on with our group had four lines ?? one of the largest in the U.S.! ? all offering unique views. The lines were really fun, too, in that they were parallel, so two people could zip at the same time. We glided hundreds of feet above a huge Chinese bamboo forest, and then towards the Pacific Ocean just beyond the coastline. The day was perfect, and we could seemingly see forever as we glided and flew through the air. What made the trip even more fun were our guides Katlyn, James and Rodney ? all fun-loving and high-flying!

GoZip Maui gallery >>

By helicopter:

Blue Hawaiian?has been flying over the Hawaiian Islands for more than 25 years, and I couldn?t wait to take my first helicopter flight with them! When making the reservations, I was asked that oh-so-delicate question: ?How much do you weight?? Now, I realize the importance of weight on a helicopter, but still. And then, I was weighed just prior to boarding ? after days of indulgent eating! Fortunately, the number on the scale wasn?t disclosed to me, or anyone in my group!

After the weights of all five of us passengers plus the pilot were entered, the computer determined where we?d all sit once on board. I was back row, second in from the door. And off we went on our flight over West Maui and Molokai! Captain Tim showed us vantage points otherwise inaccessible ? amazing coastlines, rolling valleys, waterfalls and more. The entire experience was breathtaking. And a little queasy. Now, I don?t typically experience motion sickness, but my stomach did start feeling a little off during the flight! But I?ll do it again, no question!

Blue Hawaiian gallery >>?

By glider:

Since high school, I?ve been intrigued with flight, and had even wanted to take flying lessons at one point. That never happened, but when I had the chance to go paragliding, I didn?t hesitate! I got up early one Sunday morning and met Dexter at?Proflyght Paragliding. After signing my life away (not really, but there were several initials and signatures provided!), I joined Dexter and a van full of pilots for the 25-minute up the hillside. We passed the 4,500-foot ?Echos? Launch and made our way to the 6,500-foot ?Ferns? Launch. I didn?t have any hesitation as the van went up, up, up the winding road, and the camaraderie amongst the guys was terrific ? they talked about past flights, tips for better flights, and a lot about kite surfing, which many of them were getting into. It seemed to me like a natural fit, anyway.

It?s no surprise Dexter is considered one of the best pilots around ? his calm demeanor and voice had me relaxed and excited as we ran (?Faster! Faster! Faster!? he called) off the hillside and into the air. (Watch the video here!) There we were ? effortlessly gliding through the air, catching thermals and rising even higher up; sailing down and around and back up again; and all the while, Dexter explained the why and what of what we were doing.When we got to the ?Ferns,? I left Dexter to ready our sail. He gently finessed myriad wires into place, laid out the sail for take off, and then called me over. I climbed into my harness, put on my helmet and before I could muster any nerves, he asked if I was ready to go.? Sure!

After about 20 minutes of weightlessness and defying gravity, we came in for an easy landing. And in my mind, I was already planning my next flight. It was ? and I don?t say this word often or even at all ? awesome.

Proflyte Paragliding gallery >>

I?m not sure when I threw any underlying fears aside and took the air in these three different ways without any hesitation or concern, but am I ever glad I did ? what a fascinating way to get a different perspective on any destination! And I can?t wait to do all three again ? soon!

Susan

Susan Barnes is a travel writer, editor and photographer. A proud Army brat, she was born on a military base in Belgium and has been on the go ever since. Email Susan at susan@thefullmoxie.com

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Saturday, November 24, 2012

China's New Passport Maps Disputes - Business Insider

Friday, November 23, 2012

Google opposes UN regulations on Internet - Business News - SINA ...

What You Can Do To Achieve Internet Marketing Success

Why must we buy? Black Friday's powerful pull

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Stocks log 4-day win streak ahead of holiday

Maui: By Air ? The Full Moxie:: Celebrity, Entertainment, DIY ...

Susan

Ex-'Price Is Right' model gets $8.5M in damages