Chris Brown Feuds With Miranda Lambert, WWE's CM Punk

Brown reacts to Rihanna-related criticism from the singer and the wrestler on Twitter.
By Jocelyn Vena

Chris Brown
Photo: Mindy Small/ FilmMagic

It's an interesting time for Chris Brown. With several career highs, which include a Grammy win and performance at the show earlier this month, come several personal lows, including feuds with two other celebrities.

On Tuesday, Brown took to Twitter to address some comments made by WWE wrestler CM Punk in a video he released on TMZ, which itself came in response to an ongoing Twitter feud the guys have been having.

"I'm a lifelong proud, drug-free, straight-edge individual, so Chris and I come from two completely different worlds," Punk said in the video, referring to a previous tweet Brown had posted accusing Punk of taking steroids. "I don't have a manager, I don't have a bodyguard, I don't have an assistant, I have no need for a PR team what to tweet or when to delete tweets, and I don't hit women. Period. In my world women are to be revered and respected and I firmly believe that in this life there are consequences and repercussions for people's actions, and I don't think Chris has paid for what he's done. Picking up trash on the side of a highway does not make amends for repeatedly striking a woman in her face and sending her to hospital.

"So if Chris wants to throw stones my way now, I say that's fine. Let's put some gloves out and get in the ring and I will choke you out and I will make you feel as weak and as powerless and scared and alone as any woman who has had the misfortune of knowing a sad, cowardly, little boy such as yourself. And all proceeds can go to a women's shelter of my choosing ... Chris Brown isn't a man and that's fine. I just know that someday, somewhere, somehow, somebody will put Chris Brown exactly where he belongs and that obviously doesn't have to be me, I would just really like it to be."

After the video was released, Brown responded, "@cmpunk the video u just posted was cute! It's so funny how defensive u are. And the fact that I really don't know who you are and could give a sh-- is the funny part! I miss the real wrestlers! (Hacksaw Jim duggan, Brett the hitman heart, coco beware, rowdy roddy piper) #Notnopunks."

Several tweets later, he brought it back to Punk, but noted that he would no longer be addressing the issue. "Note: today will be the last day I bring @cmpunk existence up! The confrontations that people continuously bring my way are very amusing," he wrote. "Cuz honestly, that sh-- is too time consuming to argue wit every person who has their own issues to deal with!"

It all started on February 20, when Punk tweeted about Brown's 2009 assault of his then-girlfriend Rihanna. From there, the two became involved in a Twitter back-and-forth. Since Brown's last tweet about the video, as of press time, Punk has not tweeted about it again.

This is hardly the first bit of criticism that Brown has received since his Grammy win on February 12. While a number of celebrities tweeted their criticisms of Brown's win and performance that night, country star Miranda Lambert has been the most vocal about it.

Brown responded to her post-Grammy tweets, writing, "Using my name to get publicity? I love it! Perform your heart out! Go buy Miranda Lambert album! So motivational and 'PERFECT'!"

Not only did she tweet about it, but in concert last week Usmagazine.com reported Lambert addressed the issue further, saying, "I just have to speak my mind, because where I come from, beating up on a woman is never OK. So that's why my daddy taught me early on in life how to use a shotgun."

Related Artists

• Chris Brown
• Miranda Lambert

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1679663/chris-brown-feud-miranda-lambert-cm-punk.jhtml

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Restaurant Owners Can't Ignore Safety and Security Issues, Says ...

So you?ve got a new restaurant ? are you prepared for a safety or security crisis? Preparing for a crisis involves a lot more than getting a good liability insurance policy.

Restaurant Expert Witness, Restaurant Consultant, and CEO, Howard Cannon believes that the restaurant industry needs to pay closer attention to safety and security, stating, ?Government agencies recommend monthly safety meetings with staff and management, but very few follow that advice. Too often, there is poor training and lack of focus on safety and security for customers or the restaurant staff; and, there is little or no commitment to following up on the training that does exist.?

Cannon says, ?In any industry, there are going to be events that may not be avoided. However, to reduce risks, restaurant management and employees should be trained in security and safety measures. Training typically revolves around security discussions, review of policies and procedures that have been put in place to minimize risk, and a combination of follow-up and monitoring to ensure compliance. He adds, ?Having cameras in good locations, appropriate locks, and a well-lit facility can reduce the likelihood of problems.?

Mr. Cannon believes that those in the restaurant industry need to focus on managing their risks whenever possible, stating, ??What-if? situations are supposed to be thought out ahead of time. Having a ready response for virtually every conceivable situation helps enormously . . . What if your staff didn?t lock the back door after dark? What if only one employee closed out the restaurant and left at 11 pm with the bank deposit? . . . You can easily become ?sitting ducks? ripe for accidents, or worse.?

The restaurant industry faces another profound security risk, and that is the risk from within. Mr. Cannon encourages restaurant owners to protect their assets, stating, ?It?s a shocking fact, but 44% of restaurant employees steal from the establishment and 80% of theft is from management personnel. The industry has historically been buried with alcohol and drug abuse. Getting rid of that liability will reduce the likelihood of bigger problems.? Cameras can be a good preventative measure for this problem. They also act as a deterrent to would-be embezzlers and to would-be criminals from the outside. Additionally, when there are infractions, they help establish proof for criminal investigations, prosecutions, and other legal matters. Do restaurant customers like cameras though? Cannon believes that most of them do. ?It depends on the people, but most customers will feel safer in establishments with cameras and a security system,? he says. ?If something does happen, they have the confidence that the incident will be recorded and that record will protect them. People are looking for that kind of protection these days.

Howard Cannon is a highly recognized restaurant expert witness, consultant, analyst, and speaker. He is the author of The Complete Idiot?s Guide to Starting a Restaurant? ? found in 76 countries around the globe. Mr. Cannon is the CEO of Restaurant Consultants of America and Restaurant Expert Witness, and can be reached at 800-300-5764 or via the web at RestaurantConsultantsOfAmerica.com or RestaurantExpertWitness.com.

News from ReleaseWire.

Source: http://www.releasewire.org/02/2012/business/restaurant-owners-cant-ignore-safety-and-security-issues-says-howard-cannon-restaurant-expert-witness/

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Gene affecting the ability to sleep discovered in fruit flies

ScienceDaily (Feb. 20, 2012) ? On the surface, it's simple: when night falls, our bodies get sleepy. But behind the scenes, a series of complex molecular events, controlled by our genes, is hard at work to make us groggy. Now, research suggests that a newly identified gene known as insomniac may play a role in keeping us asleep. By cloning and testing this gene in fruit flies, Rockefeller University researchers say they have discovered an entirely new mechanism by which sleep is regulated.

Nicholas Stavropoulos, a postdoc, and Michael W. Young, Richard and Jeanne Fisher Professor and head of the Laboratory of Genetics, conducted a genetic screen of approximately 21,000 fruit flies. Using a device that employs infrared beams to detect when the flies nod off, they discovered that mutations in the insomniac gene were associated with a dramatic reduction in sleep. While a typical fruit fly sleeps for average of 927 minutes a day, insomniac flies snoozed for just 317. The mutant flies also slept for shorter periods of time, and slept and woke more frequently.

"The results showed a dramatic loss of both the duration of the flies' sleep and their ability to remain asleep after they dozed off," says Stavropoulos. "But what's especially interesting is that the insomniac gene may function through homeostatic mechanisms. These are distinct from the well-studied circadian clock pathways linked to sleep, and have an effect on the body regardless of the time of day."

The scientists believe that insomniac works by engaging a specific series of protein degradation pathways in neurons through a complex known as Cul3. If correct, this would be the first time that a protein degradation pathway, in which specific proteins are eliminated within a cell, has been linked to sleep.

The researchers also examined the link between sleep and lifespan, finding that flies with mutations to the insomniac gene lived only about two-thirds as long as unaltered flies (other studies have suggested similar effects in both flies and rats that are deprived of sleep). But when the scientists eliminated insomniac only in neurons -- allowing it to remain in the rest of the flies' bodies -- this disparity was eliminated; the resulting animals slept poorly but lived just as long.

"This suggests that reduced sleep can be 'uncoupled' from reduced lifespan, supporting the idea that some disruptions of sleep do not affect overall health, at least as far as lifespan is concerned," Stavropoulos says.

Although flies and humans would appear to have little in common when it comes to lifestyle, scientists say that the mechanisms of sleep and wakefulness are likely to be quite similar.

"Sleep is a fundamental behavior in all animals, and it is poorly understood from a scientific standpoint," says Stavropoulos. "This work gives us several new clues about how sleep is controlled at the molecular level, and could prove useful in understanding and treating sleep disorders."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Rockefeller University.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Nicholas Stavropoulos, Michael?W. Young. insomniac and Cullin-3 Regulate Sleep and Wakefulness in Drosophila. Neuron, 2011; 72 (6): 964 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.12.003

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/5NItFmeCAgU/120220211013.htm

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Superyacht Sinks Like a Stone In the Mediterranean [Video]

Even the rich are sinking in Europe: the 198-foot (60.2-meter) superyacht Yogi sunk under a Force 8 storm in the Mediterranean Sea on Friday. This video, just released today, shows the Hellenic Air Force rescuing the passengers in the middle of the gale. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Xip88ZnOJK4/superyacht-sinks-like-a-stone-in-the-mediterranean

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Social media is the Internet: how online marketers must measure ...

Lisa Buyer, president of the Buyer Group, interviews Mel Carson, Microsoft Advertising Community Manager, Microsoft Advertising on the subject of social media and the marketing mix at SES London, 2011. According to Mel, social media is the Internet. Mel says this is because the Internet is inherently social. Whether it?s through search, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, forums, or any other social media platform, the Internet is inherently social. Mel says marketers should always consider a social veneer across all of their marketing and digital campaigns, because there is a social element inherent in any devise used, whether it is via mobile, TV, Web, including games, print and cinema. Mel also stresses the importance for marketers to optimize outside of event being marketed. Marketers should always be incorporating digital photography, for example, and blogging, tweeting, in order to share the significance of their campaign with those who might not have been able to attend the event. Mel also talks about brand interaction and measuring the effect of social media in order to gauge its effectiveness. Mel calls this social interaction versus the social impressions and it?s the interactions that you?re looking to grow. For example, every tweet, every video that gets viewed, etc?gets tracked and after reviewing all of the social media engagement, Mel says a marketer is able to know that a certain amount of people have interacted with their brand. This builds upon the experience ?

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Source: http://rakyatlampung.com/archives/4303

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Hemorrhoids Treatment solution ? Enable For Internal Hemorrhoid ...

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LONDON (Reuters) ? A wedding album which went missing when a caravan was stolen in Northern Ireland 17 years ago has mysteriously reappeared at the home of its owners. Nigel and Gillian Stewart had long given up hope of seeing their wedding photographs which were inside the caravan when it was stolen, but on Tuesday [...]

WASHINGTON ? Rick Perry tried Thursday to convince the country he was in on the joke after his disastrous debate performance, but even his supporters worried aloud about damage to his already hobbling Republican presidential campaign. Perry didn?t try to defend his minute-long stammer that, unfortunately for him, was just about the only memorable part [...]

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How to Finance Your Start-Up Without Tapping Home Equity ...

By EMILY MALTBY

With home values still depressed?and likely to remain so in the coming year?many people who plan to start businesses won?t be able to leverage their personal properties to raise capital they need.

There are several alternatives, however, some newer than others.

Some 39% of business owners with less than $5 million in annual revenues said a bank loan would be the best way to raise capital in 2012, according to a survey of 2,851 owners of small businesses conducted by Pepperdine University in early January. Other top prospects were personal savings (36%), friends and family (19%), and credit cards (17%), according to the survey.

By contrast, only 11% said home equity would be the best capital source.

Despite significant funding challenges, including depressed home prices and a tight overall credit market, entrepreneurship rates have risen from 2006 through 2010, according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a small-business research group in Kansas City, Mo.

The foundation has an annual Index of Entrepreneurial Activity but hasn?t yet measured the rate of new business creation during 2011, it says.

Here?s a look at some of your choices:

Peer Lending

A small but fast-growing segment of business owners have tapped relatively new capital sources that operate through websites.

Peer-to-peer loan sites, such as Prosper.com and LendingClub.com, allow lending directly between individuals. Interest rates depend on the borrower?s credit history. Only 4% of business owners surveyed in the Pepperdine study say this would be the most promising method of securing funds this year.

Crowdfunding, available on Kickstarter.com, IndieGoGo.com and other such sites, links fundraisers to a large pool of small-dollar contributors. The sites charge fees for the service, typically less than 10% of the capital raised.

Last September, Sung-Yoon Kang got a $5,000 loan through Prosper.com at a 27% interest rate and his wife, Dawn Kang, got a $3,000 loan from LendingClub.com at a 7.9% interest rate. The couple turned to peer lending after realizing they wouldn?t qualify for a traditional bank loan.

The Kangs, who don?t own a home, used the funds to purchase a food truck. They hope to launch the business Ka?Chi Inc., of West Chester, Pa., in the near future.

Asset-Based Credit

Asset-based lending and factoring got attention when banks slashed credit lines in the 2008 financial collapse. Total asset-based credit commitments grew 5% in the last year, according to a November 2011 survey by the Commercial Finance Association. This type of financing has been dominated by the retail and garments industries, but has spread to other business sectors that have accounts receivable or other assets, according to Brian Cove, chief operating officer at the association, a New York-based trade group.

Asset-based lenders extend loans that are backed by marketable securities, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable and other business assets.

Factors operate on a similar model, purchasing accounts receivables from a business in exchange for an advanced funding amount for each invoice. The Pepperdine study shows 5% of business owners believe factoring is the best way to raise capital.

Interest on the loans can top 20%. Rohit Arora, chief executive of Biz2Credit, a small-business lending broker based in New York, says he believes the interest rates and other related costs may come down as a result of increased competition among lenders.

David Godwin turned to factoring when he started ContinuityX Inc. last year. Within four months of launching, the technology services company, based in Metamora, Ill., had secured a $500,000 credit line from Forest Capital LLC, allowing Mr. Godwin to hire 14 employees and purchase new equipment.

?It jump-started our business,? says Mr. Godwin, who did not use his home equity but did tap personal savings and friends and family to cover other initial costs.

SBA loans

Many young start-ups face significant barriers securing bank financing because they don?t have a substantial track record of growth. But there are small signs that the credit crunch is easing, as lending standards become more flexible and as some borrowers become more willing and able to take on debt, according to recent data including one January survey of senior loan officers by the Federal Reserve.

Outstanding loans to small businesses have fallen each quarter since 2009, according to the most recent data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, in an analysis of loans of less than $1 million. They totaled slightly less than $600 billion at the end of September 2011, 5% less than the year earlier.

One role of the U.S. Small Business Administration is to help banks make loans to riskier small businesses, while offering better terms such as a longer payback period. SBA loans are provided by traditional lenders, but a portion of each loan is backed by the government in the case the business owner defaults. Still, SBA loan recipients must adhere to the underwriting standards of the bank, which may include using personal property as collateral.

SBA lending hit a record in the government?s last fiscal year. But the jump was, in part, attributed to the larger loan amounts the agency agreed to back. Since October 2010, SBA lenders have been able to offer loans as large at $5 million, which are more profitable than the smaller loans start-ups typically request. (See this October 2011 story.)

In general, smaller firms have more success with these loans once they are established and ready for expansion capital.

Angel Investors

Some small businesses have had success seeking angel financing ? a segment that?s showing a revival of sorts. Most angel investors, of course, will wind up with an equity stake in your firm.

Some 39% of the $8.9 billion in total angel investments in the first half of 2011 went into seed and start-up ventures, up from 26% of $8.5 billion in total investments over the same period a year earlier, according to the University of New Hampshire?s Center for Venture Research.

It can be tricky to weed out the tire-kickers, says Paul Kedrosky, senior fellow at the Kauffman Foundation. Many individuals are angels ?in name only? and not likely to make investments as eagerly as professional investors, he notes.

Individual angels are increasingly coming together to invest as groups. That spreads risk among the group?s members. But it could create headaches for business owners who have to deal with a number of angels rather than just one or two investors.

Personal Credit and Savings

More than 70% of small businesses were launched using personal savings or assets, according to Elizabeth A. Duke, a governor on the Federal Reserve Board, who, last April, disclosed preliminary data from the Federal Reserve?s upcoming Survey of Consumer Finances.

Personal credit cards, as well as friends and family have grown in popularity during the downturn, and will likely remain an important avenue for entrepreneurs even after the economy rebounds.

Some entrepreneurs obtain business credit cards, which carry fluctuating?and often higher?interest rates while lacking consumer card protections. Delinquencies on business cards can also damage your personal credit score.

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Source: http://maricopasbdc.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/how-to-finance-your-start-up-without-tapping-home-equity/

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