Global shares fall as growth fears mount, Wall St closes

LONDON (Reuters) - World shares and commodities fell on Monday as a recent run of downbeat corporate reports cast a shadow over the economic growth outlook and markets awaited the impact of a huge U.S. hurricane.

All U.S. stock markets were shut in the first weather-related closure for 27 years, and they may close again on Tuesday as forecasters say the storm could be the largest to hit the mainland in American history.

U.S. stock index futures, which traded as usual, were down around 0.3 to 0.6 percent in line with falls seen across major European markets as renewed uncertainty over Spain and Greece put the euro and peripheral bond markets under pressure. <.n/>

The broader MSCI world equity index <.miwd00000pus> lost 0.25 percent to 327.85 points - on track for its worst monthly performance since May as doubts grow over the effect of the latest round of central bank efforts to boost activity.

Positive surprises, including third quarter U.S. and British growth data and signs of stabilization in China, have failed to persuade investors that the world economy can achieve lasting growth as major global companies have forecast weak revenues.

"Risk aversion is rising in all markets, and investors are increasingly focusing on slow global economic growth," said Eugen Weinberg, head of commodities research at Germany's Commerzbank in Frankfurt.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 index <.fteu3> of top European shares fell 0.4 percent to 1,092.75 points and the euro zone's blue-chip Euro STOXX 50 index <.stoxx50e> was down 0.8 percent to 2,475.29 points.

EURO ZONE PROBLEMS

In Europe, the common currency slipped against the dollar on rising uncertainty over whether Greece would agree to a deal on austerity and with no sign of when Spain might request aid.

Spain's problems appear to be worsening after retail sales in September were reported to be falling at their fastest pace in at least six years following a rise in sales tax.

In Greece, international lenders are refusing to make any further concessions to the government over new labor laws, stalling a deal to release desperately needed funds from the nation's bailout deal.

"Greece has come back to the radar and along with Spain, it poses a slight negative for the euro," said Jeremy Stretch, head of currency strategy at CIBC World Markets.

The euro was down 0.25 percent at $1.2902, close to Friday's two-week low of $1.2882, with volumes expected to taper off as traders in New York stay at home.

Italian political risks were also rising again after former premier Silvio Berlusconi threatened to bring down the government of Mario Monti.

"Berlusconi's rant perhaps highlights the less than stable nature of Italian politics and reinjects some degree of political risk into (Italian government bonds)," said Richard McGuire, rate strategist at Rabobank.

Italian 10-year government debt yields were up 9 basis points at 5.0 percent, with the bonds underperforming even their Spanish counterparts, where yields were 4.5 basis points higher at 5.66 percent.

German government bonds also hit two-week highs, sending 10-year yields down 5 basis points to 1.48 percent, as the weakness on equity markets added to the demand for less risky assets.

"We've got very reduced liquidity, with the U.S. deemed to be shut for the rest of the day so people are biding their time," one fixed income trader noted.

DOLLAR FIRM

The dollar steadied at 79.65 yen, off a four-month high of 80.38 touched on Friday, before a Bank of Japan monetary policy decision on Tuesday. Markets expect the BOJ to take further easing measures.

If the BOJ does ease, it will be the first time the central bank has acted for two consecutive months since 2003.

In oil markets, all eyes were on Hurricane Sandy, which has forced the closure of several big refineries along the east coast of the United States.

"With refineries cutting runs, we're likely to see a build-up in crude stocks which could be driving bearish prices at the moment," said Michael Creed, an economist at National Australia Bank in Melbourne.

Brent crude oil initially fell $1.04 to $108.51 a barrel on the possible impact of the hurricane, before recovering to be slightly firmer at around $109.93. U.S. crude was down 35 cents at $85.93.

Oil analysts say Sandy is likely to depress U.S. oil consumption as commuting and road transport fall and flights to and from East Coast airports are cancelled.

Commodities were also under pressure from speculation that rising evidence of weak corporate earnings around the world mean demand would slow. London copper fell 1.5 percent to $7,705 a metric ton (1.1023 tons).

(Additional reporting by Anirban Nag and Kirsten Donovan; Editing by David Stamp)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asian-shares-edge-higher-u-growth-002827443--finance.html

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Bleg: My friend is an expecting parent (Unqualified Offerings)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

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This Near Collision Between Two Airplanes Will Make Your Heart Skip a Beat

This seems like yet another boring refueling video taken by a KC-135 Stratotanker's flying boom operator—until the NATO E-3 Sentry AWACS plane almost crashes with it. At the last second, the Sentry's pilot pulls down in a massive negative G-force party, avoiding a fatal outcome. Things look fun when a major disaster is averted. [The Aviationist] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ICj0RNB_TWw/this-near-collision-between-two-airplanes-will-make-your-heart-skip-a-beat

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Olympics helps Britain leap out of recession

LONDON (Reuters) - Olympics spending fuelled Britain's strongest quarterly growth in five years, springboarding the country out of recession in the third quarter, data showed on Thursday

It provided some rare relief for a government accused of favouring austerity over growth, and may make another stimulus injection of cash from the central bank less likely.

The Office for National Statistics said gross domestic product rose by 1.0 percent between July and September, beating forecasts for a 0.6 percent gain, after shrinking by 0.4 percent between April and June.

The country is not out of the woods, however. It has still not recovered the output lost in the 2008-2009 slump and faces a rough road to recovery as the euro zone - its main trading partner - is heading for recession and global growth drivers such as China slow.

The data was also inflated by temporary factors - ticket sales for the London Olympics and a rebound from an extra public holiday in the previous quarter.

But it was nonetheless better than expected and could prevent the economy from have an overall contraction in 2012.

Sterling hit a one-week high versus the dollar and British government bonds extended losses after the data was released as markets reassessed the chances of more central bank asset-buying stimulus.

A number of economists changed their view in the wake of the growth figures and more upbeat comments from central bankers, which seem to hold high hopes that a new funding scheme for banks will unblock lending and get the recovery going.

"In the absence of a renewed stalling in the recovery, we expect this month's asset purchases to be the last," economists at Barclays said in a note.

Any more sustainable recovery could also ease the pressure on the government to ease its austerity plan of tax hikes and spending cuts aimed at erasing a huge budget deficit.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who is trailing in the polls, said the return to growth was a vindication of his policies, though he also struck a note of caution.

"There is still much more to be done, there is a long road to travel," Cameron said. "But we have got the right approach and we must stick to that approach.

Opposition Labour finance spokesman Ed Balls meanwhile kept up his call for a change of tack. "The complacent thing to do now is simply to wait and hope things will get better," he said.

CAUTION

Most economists agree that a sustained recovery is far from certain after business surveys have indicated a weak start to the final quarter of the year and one-off factors were the main drivers behind the strong bounce.

The statistics office estimated that Olympics ticket sales accounted for a fifth of the quarterly GDP rise, which followed three consecutive quarters of contraction.

Economists also estimate that 0.5 percentage points were due to the rebound from the output lost due to the extra holiday in June to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne.

The ONS said the British economy had grown by 0.3 percent so far this year, but was still 3.1 percent below a peak in the first quarter of 2008.

Bank of England Governor Mervyn King cautioned on Tuesday that the recovery would remain slow, with threats posed by the euro zone debt crisis and a cooling of the fast-growing economies of India, China and Brazil.

However, two of the nine BoE policymakers struck a note of confidence in newspaper interviews. Paul Fisher and Charlie Bean said the central bank's new scheme to get credit flowing through the economy showed promising signs.

Investors have already scaled back expectations for another cash boost from the Bank as King said policymakers would think "long and hard" before extending the currently approved 375 billion pounds of quantitative easing bond purchases.

However, there have been signs that the British economy faces grave threats in the months ahead. British factory orders posted a surprise fall in October, a the CBI's industrial trends survey showed on Wednesday.

WPP, the world's largest advertising group, cut its revenue outlook for the second time in as many months on Thursday after a sharp slowdown in September in North America and continental Europe hit its third quarter.

Output in Britain's service sector - which makes up more than three quarters of GDP - rose by 1.3 percent in the third quarter after a 0.1 percent drop in the second quarter. That was the strongest quarterly growth since the third quarter of 2007.

Industrial output was 1.1 percent higher, the strongest rise since the second quarter of 2010. Construction - which accounts for less than 7 percent of GDP - contracted by 2.5 percent.

(Additional reporting by Sven Egenter and Kate Holton; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/olympics-helps-britain-leap-recession-091733371--business.html

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Students on Hand as Eagerly Anticipated Campus Rec Center Opens

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Located between the Student Union and the Sports Complex, the Campus Recreation Center is a three-floor facility devoted entirely to the health and well-being of Stony Brook students, faculty and staff. It also includes two first-floor lounges with couches, televisions and ... rugby, soccer, lacrosse, quidditch, field hockey, archery and ultimate frisbee. Students, faculty and staff will continue to utilize the Sports Complex for recreational swimming, racquetball and squash.

Source: http://commcgi.cc.stonybrook.edu/am2/publish/General_University_News_2/Students_on_Hand_as_Eagerly_Anticipated_Campus_Rec_Center_Opens.shtml

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Will Obama Bounce Back?

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama try to talk over one another at the second presidential debate on Tuesday.

Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Anyone rusty on their boxing lingo should look no further than this morning?s papers. To hear the press tell it, the gloves came off on Tuesday night as President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney sparred, jabbed, and swung their way through a fiery second presidential debate. But for all the swirling dust, many outlets seem hesitant to declare a winner. Not so the latest Slate/SurveyMonkey poll. We posted our questions as soon as the Hofstra University stage went dark and collected (surprisingly decisive) responses until 9:00= a.m. EST on Wednesday. (Information on respondents is available?here. More information about SurveyMonkey Audience is here.) Scroll down for a window into what the electorate is thinking just six days before the bell rings for the final round. ?

While President Obama received lackluster reviews for his performance during debate No. 1, viewers saw a changed man on Tuesday?tough, spirited, and willing to chase down his opponent?s evasions. (Thanks to the looser town hall format, both men also did some literal stalking of each other around the perimeter of the debate floor). When we asked, ?Who do you think won the debate, Mitt Romney or Barack Obama?? Nearly 57 percent of respondents chose Obama. Only 18.9 percent named Romney the victor, 12.2 percent thought it was a tie, and another 12.2 percent were unsure.?

Next, we invited survey takers to rank each candidate on a scale of persuasiveness. Again, a large gap opened up between the two candidates. ?How effective do you think Mitt Romney was in last night?s debate?? we asked. The largest plurality, 33.1 percent, damned the governor with faint praise, calling him ?moderately effective.? Meanwhile, a combined 28.7 percent pronounced him either ?extremely? or ?very? effective, while 38.2 percent saw his performance as either ?slightly? or ?not at all? effective.

Democrats should enjoy comparing those numbers to Obama?s tally. Almost 40 percent of respondents found the incumbent ?very effective.? Another 20.9 percent said he was ?extremely effective,? 25.8 percent called him ?somewhat effective,? and only 14.4 percent judged him to be either ?slightly? or ?not at all? effective.?

Unsurprisingly, survey takers also observed a steep learning curve for Obama as a debater. When we asked whether the president acquitted himself better or worse in Long Island than in Denver, 52.7 percent replied, ?Much better.? (Another 35.8 percent said ?slightly better,? and a sliver chose the remaining options, ?neither better nor worse,? ?slightly worse,? or ?much worse.?) According to 39.8 percent of respondents, however, Romney was neither better nor worse than in the first debate?despite sinking a bit in the rhetorical quicksand during the Libya exchange. About 45 percent were less forgiving: They responded that the governor fought less skillfully last night than he did during the first scuffle.? ????

Again, expectations may matter a lot. More than 63 percent of survey takers said that the president exceeded their expectations on Tuesday, while only 24.9 percent could say the same for Romney. Most people?50.7 percent?attested that Romney performed exactly as they anticipated he would.

Yet that most elusive demographic?undecided voters?remained largely untouched by either candidate?s rhetoric. When we filtered our results to focus on respondents who had not made up their minds, we saw that Obama failed to gain much ground. Only 6 percent said the second debate had persuaded them to vote for the president. On the other hand, having watched last night?s showdown, an even slighter 4.8 percent of survey takers vowed to cast a ballot for Romney, while 62.7 percent remain on the fence.?

With 20 days to go until the election, the spectacle of the debates may have captured people?s attention, but not necessarily their votes.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=c50fd06df8856f2e1802aa75adbac3d8

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Signs Your Web Design Company Doesn&#39;t Get Online Marketing

Have you found or are you looking for a great Phoenix web design team? There are a lot of them out there that can design a very good looking website but what many of them cannot do is help you with your marketing. Online marketing can be very difficult but without it your website is essentially worthless. If you don?t have anybody coming to your website what good is your website? You need visitors before you can have?conversions. ?That is why it is extremely important that your entire Phoenix web design team understands how online marketing works. Most every web design company you talk to will tell you they understand online marketing but there are some clear signs that will tell you the truth. Let?s take a look at some of those signs so that you will know whether your Phoenix web design company will know what they are talking about or not.

• Understanding ? ?Many times a company that don?t know what they are doing will promise you all this traffic without spending time to understand your company. They maybe able to get you some traffic but will it do you any good that is the question? Imagine owning a business that sells cleaning products and the traffic you are getting is college kids looking for information for their research papers. The likelihood of that traffic helping your business is slim.
• Say They Understand SEO ? Companies that generally don?t know what they are doing will offer SEO services but if you ask for a time period that your keywords will be ranked or how the process works they generally won?t be able to tell you correctly.
• Quote ? If a company offers you a quote without knowing what you do or without doing any type of research they likely have no idea what they are doing.
• Keywords ? A marketing company that has no idea what they are doing will tell the customer to provide their own list of keywords. There is a lot of research that goes into finding keywords that you are able to rank and to determine if they provide relevant traffic.
• Cheap ? If the company is super cheap then it is probably to good to be true. Companies like this stay in business because there are a lot of people that shop base strictly on price alone. Usually what ends up happening is they spend more money than they would of had they just went with the company that could do the job right the first time.

Getting a great web design is one thing but trusting them with online marketing for your website is an entirely different thing. Marketing your website is so important ?that it could mean the difference between a business that goes out of business and a successful business. That is why you should only hire A phoenix web design team that knows how to market your business and help it grow online. ?That is exactly what HireAWiz can do for you contact us today for your free marketing report.

October 17, 2012

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Source: http://www.hireawiz.com/blog/seo/signs-web-design-company-online-marketing?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=signs-web-design-company-online-marketing

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Herman Melville's "Moby Dick": 10 most memorable lines

What happens when ordinary people decide to pay it forward? Extraordinary change...

Rohini Nilekani, a philanthropist who founded Pratham Books, which produces low-cost children?s books, sits in her home in Bangalore, India.

Rohini Nilekani pours her wealth into getting books to India's poorest children

When she found herself suddenly wealthy, the Indian philanthropist founded Pratham Books, a nonprofit publisher that uses innovative ways to put low-cost books in the hands of millions of kids.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/npvKeBRIfRw/Herman-Melville-s-Moby-Dick-10-most-memorable-lines

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Apple 'gets serious' about moving chip production away from Samsung - report

AppleInsider writes, The relationship between Apple and Samsung has moved from "love-hate" to simply "hate-hate," according to a new report, which indicates that Apple is doing all it can to cut ties with its fierce rival.

Continue reading Apple 'gets serious' about moving chip production away from Samsung - report at AppleInsider

Source: http://machash.com/appleinsider/37188/apple-gets-serious-about-moving-chip-production-away-from-samsung-report/

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Exclusive: India's HMEL bought 2 million barrels of Iranian oil: sources

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's HMEL, part-owned by steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, has emerged as a new oil client of sanctions-hit Iran, potentially complicating New Delhi's bid for a renewal of its waiver from U.S. sanctions for buying crude from Tehran.

HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd (HMEL) has taken two shipments of Iranian oil since the start of September to maximize margins at its 180,000 barrels per day (bpd) Bathinda refinery in northern India, two sources with knowledge of the deals told Reuters. The purchases came to a total 2 million barrels.

In June Washington granted India a waiver on sanctions that would have cut it off from the U.S. financial system because it had reduced its purchases of the OPEC nation's oil.

India's waiver from the sanctions, which are designed to dissuade Tehran from pursuing its nuclear program, will only be renewed in December if imports have been cut further.

Mark Dubowitz, a U.S. lobbyist for tougher sanctions on Iran and head of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, said HMEL was taking a significant risk in buying this oil.

"The U.S. government in December will be looking to see whether India has indeed significantly reduced its purchases of Iranian oil and the addition of one more customer - especially with significant exposure to the U.S. and Europe - will raise eyebrows in Washington," Dubowitz said.

HMEL is part-owned by Indian tycoon Mittal, who heads ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker. ArcelorMittal produces 35 percent of its steel in the Americas and 47 percent in Europe, according to the company's website.

State-run refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corp and Mittal own 49 percent each in the joint venture HMEL.

A spokesman for Mittal said he could not confirm or deny the purchase, but said that being a minority shareholder, Mittal himself would not be involved in such decisions.

While India's state-run refiners are adhering to the government's verbal order to cut imports from Iran by at least 15 percent, their efforts could be undermined by private refiner Essar and now HMEL.

"We are cutting imports from Iran at the cost of our bottom line and private refiners are increasing volumes at our cost," said an official at a state-run refiner, who did not wish to be identified.

"This may hit the plan to get the waiver renewed and shows discord between private and public companies. We are the only ones helping the country."

Essar sources, however, said their Iranian crude purchases would average 85,000 bpd in financial 2012/13 (April-March), a decline of 15 percent from an originally contracted 100,000 bpd. From April-August Essar has bought an average 102,000 bpd.

IRAN CRUDE TO RAMP RUNS

The United States wants allies to reduce oil imports from Iran substantially as it tries to pressure Tehran over its nuclear program, which the West thinks is aimed at building atomic weapons. Iran denies this.

As Tehran's second-biggest crude customer, India is crucial to U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran, but New Delhi needs to satisfy the growing energy demands of its economy, Asia's third-largest.

HMEL's oil purchases came on Iran's suezmax vessel Magnolia in September and Lantana in October, said the sources, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. Suezmaxes can carry up to 1 million barrels of crude.

"They are buying heavy grades from Iran because they are ramping runs at the refinery," said one of the sources.

An HMEL spokeswoman said that, as a policy, the company does not provide details of its crude oil sourcing.

The Bathinda refinery has also processed oil grades from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the sources said.

In September HMEL bought a million barrels each of Arab Medium and Khafji, while for October it is scheduled to lift 2 million barrels of Arab Medium from the kingdom.

"I am sure they can get good discounts (on Iranian oil). The problem is banking. If they can resolve it, they get cheap crude and not illegally," said one Asian oil trader.

None of the sources were aware of the payment mechanism that HMEL would use for oil imports from Iran.

Indian refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) has not received Iranian oil since February as it could not open an account with Turkey's Halkbank, which is used by other Indian refiners to pay for oil from Tehran in euros.

"How HMEL will make its payment is yet to be seen," said one of the sources.

The rial has plunged in the open market against the U.S. dollar and has boosted inflation in Iran.

(Additional Reporting by Florence Tan in SINGAPORE; editing by John Chalmers and Keiron Henderson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-indias-hmel-bought-2-million-barrels-iranian-144802382.html

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These Simple Tips Ensure You Don't Look Like Crap On a Webcam [How To]

Gone are the days when video chats were limited to tiny pixelated windows that had you stuttering through conversations with a friend. High quality webcams and broadband connections mean you can now chat in high-definition, so why not do everything you can to look fabulous on camera? More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/soyCyh9BNZU/these-simple-tips-ensure-you-dont-look-like-crap-on-a-webcam

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Chocolate peanut butter Rice Krispie treats

Channel your inner trick-or-treater with a new take on the classic Rice Krispie treat. This crunchy, gooey dessert is topped with peanut butter and chocolate, plus a cute candy corn finish.?

By Kendra Nordin,?Kitchen Report / October 12, 2012

Rice Krispie treats get a 'grown-up' treatment with a creamy chocolate and peanut butter layer and a smooth dark chocolate ganache. Don't forget the candy corns for a festive touch.

Kendra Nordin/Kitchen Report

Enlarge

Candy corn, peanut butter and chocolate, and Rice Krispie treats all say ?Halloween.? So why not combine them all into one decadent treat? A crunchy, gooey crust under a creamy milk chocolate-peanut butter layer and topped with a dark chocolate ganache and a candy corn gem.

Skip to next paragraph Kendra Nordin

Staff editor

Kendra Nordin is a staff editor and writer for the weekly print edition of the Monitor. She also produces Stir It Up!, a recipe blog for CSMonitor.com.

Recent posts

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Rice Krispie treats may say "kiddie food" to you ? but so what? You should have stopped wearing Halloween costumes a long time ago, too. Get in the make-believe spirit by whipping up a batch of these delicious treats.

The only trick here is to set aside (one or two) for yourself before they all magically disappear.

Chocolate peanut butter rice krispie treats
Inspired by The Pastry Chef?s Baking

For the crust:
1-1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 10-ounce package of marshmallows (about 20 marshmallows)
3 cups rice krispies?

Line an 8-inch square pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted.?Remove from heat. Add rice krispies. Stir until well coated.?Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into pan.

For the Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer:
5 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup creamy peanut butter

?Melt the milk chocolate and peanut butter together in the top half of a double boiler set over hot water, stirring until completely melted and smooth. Remove the top half from the bottom half of the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust. Put the pan in the refrigerator for one hour, or until the top layer hardens.

For the Chocolate Icing:
3 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup?
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a large nonreactive bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup and butter.

In the top half of a double boiler, set over hot water, melt together and stir until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the chilled milk chocolate peanut butter layer and spread into an even layer. Put the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until the topping hardens.?When firm, cut into small squares and serve.

Related post on Kitchen Report: Kentucky Derby Bars

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/NP6ogbiiIFk/Chocolate-peanut-butter-Rice-Krispie-treats

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Controlling Menopause With A Raw Food Diet | Jackie&#39;s Women&#39;s ...

Related eBooks

Menopause symptoms can be controlled through living a healthy lifestyle. This article reviews the benefit of eating a raw foods diet to control menopause symptom like hot flashes, weight gain, and sleep challenges. Eating less processed high sugar and fat foods will lessen the severity of most menopausal but many women just don?t understand the benefits of eating a raw foods diet. This article clears up the confusion.

Source:Controlling Menopause With A Raw Food Diet

Related Reading:

Bold & Beautiful (Future Alphas)Aura is a plus size teen in a small town. Her mother can?t seem to accept her weight issues, when she?s around, and her classmates remind her of her struggles daily. It?s not that Aura lacks confidence; she?s suffering from a lack of acceptance.

Until he moves into town?

Jonas? entire pack has just relocated to Leesburough. He?s less than enthusiastic, until he happens upon his mate. Now his wolf won?t stop until he claims her. In a situation where instinct and timing are rivals, how long can he remain in control?

He?s always believed everything happens for a reason. That belief is challenged when he meets Aura? until he discovers her secrets, which exceed his own.

Elly In BloomSurrounded by lush flowers and neurotic brides, chubby 32-year old Elly Jordan has carved out a sweet little life for herself as the owner of Posies, a boutique wedding florist in St. Louis. It?s not bad for a woman who drove away from her entire life just two years ago when she found her husband entwined with a red-headed artist. Sure, Elly has an embarrassingly beautiful best friend, a terribly behaved sheepdog and a sarcastic assistant who she simply calls ?Snarky Teenager?, but overall her days are pleasantly uneventful. As a bonus, her new next door neighbor just happens to be an unnervingly handsome musician who has an eye for curvy Elly. Just when she feels that she is finally moving on from her past, she discovers that an extravagant wedding contract, one that could change her financial future, is more than she bargained for. With the help of her friends, staff and the occasional well-made sandwich, Elly bravely agrees to take on the event that threatens to merge her painful history with her bright new life, and finds herself blooming in a direction she never imagined. Elly?s voice, both charming and hilarious, will appeal to those readers who have been looking for a new voice in chick-lit, and will give women of all sizes the realistic heroine they?ve been waiting for. Big, Beautiful, and Pregnant: Expert Advice and Comforting Wisdom for the Expecting Plus-Size WomanAlmost half of all pregnant women are overweight in the U.S. today, but there are few places they can turn for reliable information and helpful advice on the special set of challenges they'll face during the nine-month adventure that lies ahead. In Big, Beautiful and Pregnant, Cornelia van der Ziel, a highly sought-after obstetrician who specializes in plus-size pregnancies, and Jacqueline Tourville, a plus-size mom who's lived the experience, offer a warm, witty, medically-sound guide for overweight women who want the skinny on what to expect from pregnancy and childbirth. They answer all the questions pregnant moms may have, including: Is my pregnancy doomed to be difficult because I'm overweight? How can I find a sympathetic doctor? Am I destined for a c-section because of my extra pounds? Are there special medical risks to my unborn child? Where can I find maternity clothes in extra-large sizes? A unique combination of impeccable medical advice, fun, and down-to-earth charm, Big, Beautiful and Pregnant provides plus-size pregnant women with information, inspiration, a sense of sisterhood, and reassurance that they can have a healthy and happy pregnancy.

Tags: plus size

Source: http://www.jackiesbazaar.com/womensinterests/plus-size/controlling-menopause-with-a-raw-food-diet

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Source: http://www.thepromoter.com/2012/10/automate-your-home-based-business-empower-network-scam-automate-your-home-based-business/

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Bubble Trouble: Soda Makers Plan Calorie-Counting Vending Machines

New calorie-aware vending machines will go public in 2013. Image credit: Coca-Cola/AP Photo.

The battle against obesity seems to have turned largely into a war on soda. All across the nation there are calls for taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks and limitations on where they can be sold. The most well-publicized salvo is New York City?s ban on large sugary drinks sold in restaurants and movie theaters and from street carts.

Beverage companies are scrambling to show they?re willing to change their ways to help avoid even more strong-arming. They?re marketing smaller drink sizes and running their own public awareness campaigns for healthy eating.

Their latest preemptive move, announced this week, literally puts the decision to guzzle a sugary drink at a consumer?s fingertips.? Soft-drink makers, including Coca-Cola and Pepsico, say they will list the calorie counts for sodas directly on the buttons of their vending machines. The new industry-designed machines go way beyond government proposals, which would only require that calorie counts be displayed on the side of a machine.

Before someone presses 240 ? the number of calories in a 20-ounce Coke ? the machine will scroll a reminder that they can always select a lower-calorie alternative. The machines, which go public in 2013, will also feature small decals with sayings such as ?Calories Count: Check Then Choose.?

David Just, the director of Cornell University?s center for behavioral economics in child nutrition programs, said he thinks the machines are a good idea and make a lot more sense than much of the anti-soda legislation. He said he?s worried that moves like the New York City ban will backfire.

?If we do something that specifically targets soda and we don?t know that it will have a huge impact on obesity, we are taking a big risk that it will be ineffective while creating a lot of resentment from consumers and retailers. If we tick off both sides in this transaction, it will be a lot more difficult to introduce new legislation in the future,? said Just.

Just said he thought it makes more sense to get beverage companies to make voluntary changes like the calorie-aware vending machines. He thinks there are other things they can do too.

?Rather than doing a hard sell on sugary drinks to kids and teens, beverage companies could market artificially sweetened and low calorie beverages to them instead,? he said.

Just said this has never been done on a large scale before and his group at Cornell has shown it could significantly lower the consumption of sugary drinks while raising the sales of healthier beverages.

?These companies aren?t selling sugar, they?re selling soda. They don?t care if their products contain sugar or not, so this type of change could be a win for everyone,? Just said.

Yale University?s Kelly Brownell can be pardoned for not believing beverage company tactics alone will help lower soda consumption and lower obesity rates. Brownell has led the charge to legislate sugar-laden beverages for more than a decade.

?In this country, we start by hoping people will change their behavior on their own. If the default approach of imploring people to change their ways doesn?t work, then we ask the government to step in and take action,? he said.

To Brownell, regulating soda is public health policy 101 ? and it has plenty of precedents. He points to smoking, seat belts and immunization as examples where there was a lot of opposition to regulation at first, but the objections soon receded.

In order to address the obesity crisis, Brownell said he believes we have to start regulating somewhere, and the evidence for the dietary evils of soda is so strong that it makes sense to start there.

Truly no one can stand up for soda on nutritional grounds no matter which side of the debate they are on. The consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest says that the average American drinks more than 40 ounces of sweetened drinks daily, with groups like teenage boys averaging double that amount. Sugary drinks are now the single greatest source of added sugar in the American diet ? and they offer no nutritional value.

A trio of studies in a recent issue of The New England Journal of Medicine found that sugar-sweetened beverages make a unique contribution to our expanding waistlines. One investigation was a decades-long study of more than 33,000 Americans, which showed sugary beverages interact with genes that affect weight, magnifying weight gain in people who are predisposed by heredity to piling on the pounds. The two other experiments found that giving children and teens calorie-free alternatives to the sugary drinks leads to less weight gain over time.

Dr. Lu Qi, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, said he thinks a combination of public policy and industry changes are needed. Most important, he said, people must understand how serious a health crisis soda consumption has become.

?However we do it, the more solid evidence we have, the easier it will be to convince people to give up sugar-sweetened beverages,? he said.

Source: http://feeds.abcnews.com/click.phdo?i=dbbbd9be3995a2f244f9c5deecaa98da

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Ex-M.Stanley, Lehman execs launch hedge fund to bet on Asia M&A

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong-based Ardon Maroon Fund Management, run by former Wall Street bank executives, has launched an Asia-focused hedge fund with seed capital from a European family office, a company document showed, aiming to profit from events such as mergers and restructurings.

The launch comes as Asian funds that focus on mergers and activities such as spin-offs or bankruptcies, also called event-driven funds, have outperformed so far in 2012, rising 5 percent on average against the 3.7 percent gain overall for Asian hedge funds, data from industry tracker Eurekahedge showed.

Frank Dominick, formerly of Morgan Stanley , and Charles Woo, who worked at Lehman Brothers, have started trading with $26.5 million, according to the document which was seen by Reuters. They have hired Mirza Rahman as chief operating officer.

Rahman earlier held the COO role at Artradis, which was once Singapore's biggest hedge fund with peak assets of $4.9 billion but wound up in 2011.

Maroon Capital Asia, the investment vehicle of European family office Maroon, has provided seed capital worth $25 million to the fund and working capital to support the business. Some former investors, former employers and new investors have made additional commitments, the document showed.

James O'Hanlon, a former managing director at Bank of America Corp in Japan, has been hired by Ardon as a portfolio manager, a source with knowledge of the matter said. The firm has seven employees in all.

The Ardon Asia Fund will invest primarily in Hong Kong, China, Korea, Australia, Singapore, and Japan and takes opportunistic bets in India, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Event-driven funds trade in stocks, bonds, convertibles and other types of securities. Announced mergers and acquisitions deals in Asia-Pacific ex-Japan for the third quarter of 2012 amounted to around $136 billion, down about 8 percent from the same quarter of the previous year, according to preliminary data from Thomson Reuters.

Ardon had previously joined hands with New York-based Pulse Capital Partners to launch the fund in July last year with Pulse expected to arrange up to $50 million in initial capital. It was not immediately clear what happened to that plan.

Woo declined to comment.

(Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-m-stanley-lehman-execs-launch-hedge-fund-055750854--sector.html

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What to Know About Affiliate Marketing Programs | Content for Reprint

Author: Mike Christie | Total views: 136 Comments: 0
Word Count: 737 Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2012 3:43 PM

Affiliate marketing programs have allowed many people to earn income online in the comfort and security of their own home. For many, this is like a dream come true - Making money without having to leave home. No big upfront investment of money or equipment. No need to inventory or ship products. As far as new business opportunities go for people who want to earn income online, it really doesn't get any better than affiliate marketing .

The great thing about affiliate marketing is that you can do it both part time and full time, and the types of products and services being offered range from beauty products to electronic devices. So how do you know what is best for you and your lifestyle? Here are some general rules on affiliate marketing programs that you need to know. They will show you how to choose the right one and how to make the venture successful.

Deciding on the Right Affiliate Marketing Program

The first rule is to work with a legitimate, well known company in the affiliate marketing industry. It can be very difficult to find the right one because when you try to research this on the internet, you can get bombarded with all kinds of outrageous promises. Some companies that offer affiliate marketing services are not bona fide and you should be on alert. You need to do some your homework and make sure the company will follow through on all of the commitments they make in their marketing materials. Don't jump at the first company to make an offer in helping you to get started. Take your time, be selective, and go with the firm that offers the best package, support, and reputation for honesty.

Choosing a product or products is also very important. It is important that you believe and use the product or service that you are selling. You cannot very easily promote a product without truly understanding it from the user's perspective. Get behind the wheel and drive it first if you plan on selling it.

You also need to choose a product that has the potential to sell well. You can personally be passionate about a product and use it yourself, but make sure that it has broad appeal and can be sold to many people rather than a few. Selling to a very narrow market in terms of numbers can be a challenging in that you may not see enough sales to cover your marketing costs. It costs the same amount of money to place an ad for a product with broad appeal as it does a narrow one, so make sure that your product can appeal to a large number of consumers.

Setting up an Affiliate Marketing Site

Most affiliate marketing programs require that one set up a website, although there are many products and services that can be sold offline as well. Fortunately, it is not hard to set up a blog or website for free or at low cost. Web hosts such as Wordpress, Blogger, and Weebly enable one to set up a good looking site free of charge. Furthermore, these sites are easy to work with, so even a person without technical know-how can set up an appealing, well designed site.

However, one will then need to be willing to learn the basics of website optimization in order to promote the site online. This is where you are going to want to spend some money and hire an expert to help. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is critical to the success of your online business, and is a process that requires time and expertise to do effectively. There are some very talented folks in the business that can do this for you for not a lot of money, which allows you to work on the things you know and are good at.

Affiliate marketing can be a good way to earn income online. There are many businesses that are willing to pay affiliates a generous commission for their services. However, one should choose a product and company only after doing research and then be willing to work hard promoting the merchandise in question. The good news is that with hard work, perseverance and wise planning, a person can successfully earn a living while working from home.

Michael Christie owns http://www.CashflowAnimal.comnwhere popular home business ideas and opportunities are testednrigorously to find out what works and what doesn't. Visitntoday for more info or check out our #1 work-at-home program at:nhttp://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-33775n

Related to: earn income online

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1: What is Cyber Marketing And Why It Is So Important For The Success Of Your Website

Cyber marketing has now become an indispensable segment of e-commerce as well as the internet and World Wide Web related topics. Cyber marketing simply refers to a technique of attracting potential customers by advertising your products or services through such means as websites, emails, and banners.

by: WJaegel on: Tue, 18 Dec 2007

2: SEO Copywriting: How To Choose Article Marketing Topics To Achieve Maximum Exposure

Distributing articles online can be an effective way to build backlinks to your website -- when done correctly. This article explores how to choose the right topics for your article marketing campaign so that they will be widely accepted and distributed online.

by: charmen on: Mon, 8 Dec 2008

3: Article Marketing Strategy: Putting Together a "Class Schedule" For Your Article Topics

Businesses go to so much trouble when there is one sure-fire, simple, very inexpensive way to attract new clients to a business: Teach a free class. That is what article marketing is like. Your articles are just like free classes. You teach your target readers something helpful in your article. Your resource box then says, "If you enjoyed this article you can visit my website and apply what you have learned."

by: Steve Shaw on: Sat, 23 Apr 2011

4: Stumped For What to Write About? 15 Article Topic Ideas...

Do you ever dread sitting down to write because you're just not sure what to write about? When you're doing article marketing, you need to create a steady flow of articles. Even if you feel stumped, I assure you--you have more creative writing ideas in you. You just need a little help in looking at your topic in a new way to come up with new writing ideas. Use these 15 article ideas to start your next brainstorming session.

by: Steve Shaw on: Sun, 3 Jan 2010

5: Article Marketing Or Guest Blog Posting : Which Do I Favor?

An analysis of Article Marketing in comparison to Guest Blog Posting as a strategy towards achieving the twin objectives of gaining backlinks and getting massive traffic

by: Dele Ojewumi on: Wed, 20 Oct 2010

Source: http://www.content4reprint.com/internet-marketing/what-to-know-about-affiliate-marketing-programs.htm

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Insurance fraud impact greater than estimated

The cost of insurance fraud is greater than previously estimated and is expected to grow in the future, according to a recent survey by the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America and FICO, a provider of predictive analytics and decision management technology.

Forty-five percent of insurers estimated that insurance fraud costs represent 5-10 percent of their claims volume, while 32 percent said the ratio is as high as 20 percent. More than half (54 percent) of insurers expect to see an increase in the cost of fraud this year on personal insurance lines ? policies designed to protect individuals and families ? while less than three percent of insurers expect to see a decline in the cost of fraud on personal lines.

?The insurance fraud problem is estimated to exceed $40 billion globally and is showing no signs of abatement,? Russ Schreiber, who leads FICO?s insurance practice, said in a statement. ?The findings of the FICO PCI Insurance Survey demonstrate that insurers recognize the problem and are looking to improve ways to detect and prevent fraud earlier in the claims process.?

While it has commonly been estimated that insurance fraud accounts for up to 10 percent of property and casualty insurance industry losses, this new survey indicates that some in the industry believe that fraud could be much more prevalent. It also highlights areas such as application fraud where insurance companies see opportunities to improve ways to detect fraud and keep costs low for consumers.

Insurers responding to the survey said they expect the most significant increase in the cost of fraud will affect personal property, workers? compensation and auto insurance.? In terms of fraud by individual policyholders, 67 percent of insurers expect to see an increase in personal property fraud, 65 percent expect to see an increase in workers? compensation fraud, and 60 percent expect to see a rise in personal auto fraud. The majority of insurers (61 percent) attributed the increases in fraud to sustained economic hardship by policyholders.

While only 17 percent of insurers attributed the expected increase in fraud to a rise in the sophistication of criminal gangs, 60 percent expect a rise in workers compensation fraud rings, and 61 percent expect a rise in auto fraud rings. The survey also found that 76 percent of insurers believe there is increased risk of fraud in no-fault states compared to states with tort systems; 45 percent see the risk as significantly higher, while 31 percent see it as somewhat higher.

Insurers have placed emphasis in recent years on implementing meaningful reforms to no-fault insurance systems in several large states due to spiraling medical costs (40 percent more than in states with tort systems) and rampant fraud. Much of this fraud is attributable to sophisticated fraud rings such as the $279 million no-fault insurance scam involving more than 30 individuals that was brought down in New York City this year.

?It is clear insurers understand the scope of the insurance fraud problem, and are taking steps to reduce it,? Robert Passmore, senior director of personal lines policy at PCI, said in a statement. ?However, we also want that the public and policymakers to recognize that consumers are paying what amounts to a ?fraud tax? that is far too expensive for hard-working citizens.?

When insurers were asked about fraud-fighting initiatives that can have the greatest impact on insurance fraud, predictive analytics was identified as the most effective by 45 percent of respondents. Insurers also included the use of anti-fraud teams for specific books of business (37 percent), link analysis for detecting fraud (31 percent), business rules for stopping known fraud types (29 percent), and external databases (29 percent) as other useful fraud-fighting approaches.

?Early detection is the key to mitigating fraud losses for insurers,? Schreiber said. ?Solutions like the FICO Insurance Fraud Manager not only help detect outright fraud, but also combat abuse and waste, the gray area of insurance claims.?

The Insurance Fraud Survey included responses from 143 insurers throughout the U.S., who were surveyed in August 2012.

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Source: http://www.consumerinsuranceguide.com/identity-theft/insurance-fraud-impact-greater-than-estimated/

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Solution Architect & Business Analyst (ALBE) - Telecommuncation at ...

Job description
Would you like the opportunity to join the IBM organization? Then this is your chance!

IBM is the world leader in IT Services and business consultancy. Our vision is to bring a new level of ?smart? to how the world works. A place where people, businesses, governments, objects and systems all work, talk, listen and understand each other. A place where billions of people will live and work better.

IBM is the world's largest consulting services organization. IBM provides clients with business transformation and industry expertise, and the ability to translate that expertise into integrated, responsive, innovative business solutions. IBM provides consulting services across multiple industries and covers the whole process chain from strategy consulting through to the construction, implementation and operation of technical and commercial solutions.

The resource has to work with one of the big Telecommunication Company , 3rd parties and other IBM colleagues on the Inside-Out Programme.
This project has the aim of transforming the TelCo Company Italy Billing, CRM and Legacy systems into an Out-of-the Box solution.

For the Abstraction Layer Area, the resource will have the following responsibilities:

• Analyze as-is customer architecture
• Provide high-level design and Technical guidance for the entire phases of the project
• Provide broad design expertise for application, integration and technology solutions
• Apply best practices design processes
• Gather requirements from various stakeholders
• Analyze requirements and design solutions
• Prepare Technical design options in collaboration with other architects
• Identify application, data and infrastructure components required or impacted to implement technical solutions
• Write documentation and provide design solutions and alternatives
• Prepare estimates of effort and cost in collaboration with technology specialists for execution tasks
• Provide leadership, technical guidance, and mentoring to others in areas of acquired expertise

Additional Requirements :

• Strong understanding of ETL, data transformation and data enrichment main concepts.
• Functional knowledge on other integration technologies like EAI, BPM.
• Functional knowledge of coding languages like Java, J2EE.
• BPEL/XML experience in defining and implementing business processes in a JEE environment
• Functional knowledge of protocols as XML, CORBA, RPC, DCOM, EJB, HTTP, POJO.
• Ability to work in a highly collaborative environment, with technical and non technical resources
• Ability to work effectively as a team member, across project teams, and independently
• Ability to own and drive tasks to successful completion
• Ability to Apply analytical and problem-solving skills to complex design problems
• Ability to Prepare and deliver presentations or reports to executive leadership
• Strong writing and communication skills

Required

• Bachelor's Degree
• At least 6 years experience in IT environment
• At least 4 years experience in Telecommunication Company Environment
• At least 2 years experience in Solution Architect Job
• At least 2 years experience in Business Analyst job
• At least 2 years experience in Solution design in Telco domain
• At least 2 years experience in Cross-domain and cross-business activities
• At least 2 years experience in Writing Architectural / Functional specifications
• At least 2 years experience in Enterprise Integration Architecture platform using integration technologies and methodologies such as Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)
• At least 2 years experience in Defining and implementing SOA standards leveraging custom and 3rd party solutions, especially Bea/Oracle Weblogic, Oracle Service (OSB), Web Methods, Oracle Enterprise Repository
• English: Fluent
• Italian: Fluent??? ?

Preferred

• Engineering
• At least 2 years experience in IT road map design and implementation

IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.
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To apply, please use the following reference: MM2057/EurActiv and click here.

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Source: http://jobs.euractiv.com/node/83886

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9 Easily Preventable Mistakes Writers Make with Dialogue | The ...

Dialogue has been my own writing nemesis and I continue to find it a challenge, although each day of writing seems to improve it slightly!

Today, author and blogger Ali Luke helps us with some basic dialogue mistakes and how to fix them.

Whether you love writing dialogue or dread it, you?ll probably agree it?s an essential part of fiction. Unless you?re writing an experimental short story, you?re going to need to include some dialogue ? and it needs to be done just as well as the rest of your writing.

Dialogue has many roles in your story. It can:

• Reveal character
• Advance the plot
• Make characters seem real
• Give a sense of action unfolding

Dialogue is also easy and fast to read.

It breaks up the page, adding white space and making your story look more attractive. (If you?ve ever seen someone flicking through a novel in a bookstore, there?s a good chance they were looking to see how much narrative vs dialogue that novel contained.)

Unfortunately, dialogue is also easy to get wrong. Whether you?re a new writer or an established one, you?ll want to watch out for these mistakes.

(You can also look out for them in published books, too ? plenty of pros still aren?t getting these right. If you come across a great what-not-to-do example, share it with us in the comments.)

Mistake #1: Being Too Formal

Even if you?re a stickler for the finer points of grammar in your prose, real people don?t talk like textbooks. They say things like:

• Me and him went to the shops.
• I dunno.
• If I was you?

Yes, we know that those should technically be:

• He and I went to the shops.
• I don?t know.
• If I were you?

?but most of your characters won?t always talk ?correctly.?

There might well be circumstances where you want a character to speak in a precise, correct way ? but that gives the reader some very clear signals about this character (perhaps they?re posh, trying very hard to get things right, or a little uptight).

On a similar point, characters shouldn?t speak in long, complicated sentences ? or give long speeches. If you?re struggling to ?hear? real dialogue as you write, try recording a conversation and listening to how people really talk.

However?

Mistake #2: Being Too Realistic

Some authors, shying away from formality, go too far into making their dialogue real. They pepper every character?s sentences with ?ums? and ?ers? and hesitations. They have so many interruptions that it?s hard to figure out what?s going on.

This might be a perfect transcript of how real people talk all the time ? but it will make your character sound incredibly indecisive and uncertain to your readers:

?Um, I don?t really know if ? actually, yes ? er, let?s go to the, the park.?

There will be occasions where you want a character to hesitate or fumble their words ? but again, keep in mind the signals that this sends the reader. Is your character very nervous, or perhaps lying?

#3: Using Obtrusive Dialogue Tags

A dialogue tag is the little phrase that tells the reader who?s speaking, like this:

He said

She asked

I answered

Some writers worry that using ?he said? and ?she said? all the time will get boring, so they start varying their dialogue tags:

He opined

She screamed

I exclaimed

In general, the simple tags are best ? readers barely notice them, except to register who?s speaking. Stick with said, asked, answered and perhaps an occasional whispered, muttered or shouted.

If you do feel you?re overusing dialogue tags, an easy trick is to add a line of action to your dialogue, like this:

Sarah came running down the stairs. ?I can?t find it anywhere!?

#4: Using Phonetic Spellings

If you have a character with a strong accent, you might be tempted to indicate this in every line of dialogue they speak.

Tread very lightly here. If you?re peppering your character?s speech with apostrophes and creative spellings, it?s going to make the reader?s life hard. It can also give the inadvertent and unfortunate impression that you?re looking down on or even mocking that character?s region, class background, or race.

Instead of writing words out phonetically, try using occasional dialect words, or unusual word order, to indicate a character?s speech patterns.

#5: Using Character?s Names Too Often

In real life, we don?t tend to use other people?s names all that much when we?re talking to them ? even if there are three or four people involved in the same conversation. We might say ?Hi, Sue? when they arrive, or ?It was great to meet you, John? when they leave ? but we don?t use their name every time we address a remark or question towards them.

In fiction, though, you?ll sometimes find characters talking like this:

Hi, Amy. Is there much happening today?

Not much, John. Did you get those figures I needed?

Sorry, Amy, I forgot.

The conversation starts to sound odd and artificial ? or even slightly patronizing towards one or both characters.

This problem sometimes arises when authors are trying to avoid using too many dialogue tags. In general, it?s much less intrusive to add in an extra dialogue tag than to constantly have characters addressing one another by name.

#6: Not Including Any Narrative

In #3, I mentioned that one way to avoid overdoing dialogue tags is to include action. You can also do this with a character?s thoughts, like this:

Julie couldn?t stand Mark, but she managed to fake a smile. ?Hi. It?s lovely to see you again.?

Or with description, like this:

The pub was dimly lit, but now they were sitting down, Lucy could see the stains on the walls, and the deep scratches in the furniture. She cast around for something to say. ?Do you come here often??

Some writers, though, seem to get into ?dialogue? mode and have line after line of dialogue, with no more support than a few dialogue tags. By blending in action and the viewpoint character?s thoughts ? not necessarily every line, but at least occasionally ? you can enhance the dialogue by adding new levels of meaning.

#7: Having Every Character Sound the Same

We all have different ways of speaking ? but sometimes in fiction, authors make all their characters sound exactly alike. This might work if the story is set in a homogenous group ? but it sounds silly if some of the characters are teens and others are grandparents.

For each character, you could think about:

• Any habitual phrases they use. You won?t want to overdo these, but they can be a useful way to cue the reader in that a particular character is speaking.
• What words they don?t use. Perhaps they never swear, preferring ?Oh sugar!? or ?Fiddlesticks!? Maybe they tend to avoid long or complicated words.
• How eloquent they are ? or how taciturn they are. Some characters have a way with words; others don?t say much, or say it awkwardly when they do.
• How polite they are ? or not! Do they make requests pleasantly, or do they order other characters around?

#8: Using Indirect Speech Poorly

Not all conversations in your story need to be spelled out in full. Sometimes, you?ll want to give the reader a quick summary ? and you can do that with indirect speech. It looks like this:

Tom and Jonathan chatted for a while about the football game they?d seen last night. Beth, bored, went to get another drink.

This is a great way to let the reader know that a conversation is happening, without having to go into any detail.

One mistake here, of course, is to never use indirect dialogue at all, giving a blow-by-blow account of the football game that leaves the reader as bored as Beth. Some writers worry that ?show, don?t tell? means they should avoid indirect dialogue ? but that?s not the case.

Another problem, though, is when important conversations get summarized in this way:

George had a massive row with his mum, about that letter she?d had from school, and she told him that he was banned from using the X-Box until he?d got his homework done. He told her he hated her, and stormed off upstairs.

In this case, the words exchanged matter ? the reader will want to judge whether George is being a horrible child or whether his mother has overreacted, for instance. It?s also a lot more dramatic to hear the words spoken, rather than just read a summary.

#9: Spelling Everything Out in the Narrative

Some writers worry that the reader won?t quite ?get? the dialogue, and decide to spell things out, like this:

?I hate you!? George slammed the door and ran upstairs. He was furious with his mum ? he felt that she was being unfair.

We don?t need the last sentence here: it?s obvious from what George says (?I hate you!?) and what he does (?George slammed the door and ran upstairs?) than he?s furious, and we can make a fair guess that he thinks his mum is being unfair.

When you spell out what?s happening like this, it?s irritating to the reader: they?re perfectly capable of understanding subtext, and picking up on small cues, to figure out the thoughts and emotions behind what a character says.

Of course, there will be some occasions where you do need to explain what a character is thinking ? but this should be the exception, rather than the rule.

Are any of these nine mistakes ones that you know you?re probably making in your own writing?

(I suspect I?ve managed all nine at some point!) Do you have a tenth mistake to suggest? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Bio: Ali Luke is the author of Lycopolis, a novel, and Publishing E-Books For Dummies. As well as blogging about writing all around the web, she runs Writers? Huddle, a community / teaching site for writers. The Huddle is packed with useful resources (with new ones added each month) and is suitable for complete beginners as well as advanced writers. The doors are only open for new members until 12th October, so if you?d like to take your writing to the next level, alongside other like-minded writers, check out the full details today.

Top image: people talking from BigStock

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Source: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2012/10/04/dialogue-mistakes/

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