New Instagram app enhances your Facebook Timeline cover photo

Instagram is a fantastic tool to include in your content marketing plans, especially now there's the new InstaCover app.

While the photo app is all about pictures, rather than words, we recently explained in a NewsReach blog why the two seamlessly fit together. Photos can show things that words cannot as easily describe, such as a new product, behind the scenes at your company and your staff.

Photos are engaging and can help build up a rapport between your brand and your customers. For example, if you are a fashion firm, you might ask your social media fans to post a picture of them wearing the latest purchase from you. If you are in the travel sector, you could run a competition for the best snaps taken on holiday, with the winner receiving a short break or a discount off their next getaway.

Facebook recently snapped up Instagram, and now a new app has been launched that allows you to create a collage of Instagram photos for your Facebook Timeline cover picture. Called InstaCover, the app enables you to provide your fans with an overview of your business at a glance. The collage should be as eye-catching and fun as possible in order to encourage people to keep scrolling down your page.

Even better is that you do not solely have to use your own photos, which is great if you also want to show off a different side to your brand, such as your employee's favourite foods, restaurants, attractions and even pets! Customers like to feel as though they know a company, as this helps to build up trust, so adding some personal photos will help create this bond.

How images play a role in content?marketing

NewsReach's head of social media Amanda Kouwenhoven recently explained the benefits of including photos within content marketing plans.

"Sharing images allows followers a break from status updates or check-ins and enables a person or a brand to show something, rather than just tell people about it. This can create a much stronger response - for example, showing someone what you ate at a restaurant will no doubt have much more impact than just telling them what you had," she said.

People can also comment on and 'like' Instagram photos, which again creates the opportunity for your brand to respond to their thoughts.

What do you think about using Instagram as part of your content marketing plans?

Interested in finding out more about the power of high-quality content? Visit NewsReach at stand A733 at the online marketing Show for the chance to win a free white paper or infographic produced by our experts.

Source: http://www.newsreach.co.uk/social-media-marketing/new-instagram-app-enhances-your-facebook-timeline-cover-photo

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McCloskey new football coach at Central Valley

CERES -- Central Valley is hoping a new energy and voice will produce winning football for the first time in school history.

Central Valley recently announced the appointment of Jason McCloskey, a Minnesota transplant who becomes just the second head coach in the school's short history.

McCloskey replaces Tim Garcia, the program's architect and a former prep star at Grace Davis. Garcia left to return to his alma mater as the offensive coordinator, according to a report in the Ceres Courier.

Garcia had coached Central Valley since its inception as a senior-less varsity program in 2006, compiling a 19-36 record in those six seasons.

During that span, the Hawks failed to produce a winning record or reach the Sac-Joaquin Section's postseason.

Central Valley was 4-6 last fall, despite possessing one of the Stanislaus District's most explosive offenses. The Hawks' best campaign under Garcia was 5-5 in 2008, its last in the Valley Oak League.

"They've had their struggles as far as a football team goes," said McCloskey, who met with returning players on June 18 and recently rounded out his coaching staff. "But I think they're heading in the right direction, so it's a good time to get into a team with a lot of ability.

"Everyone has been amazing, really goal-oriented. They like what they see and hear from me, and I like what I see and hear from them."

"You have to give Mr. Garcia a lot of credit for starting a new program," said McCloskey, who last coached at Minnesota's Waubun High from 2009-11. "It's hard. I've started a few myself. It's tough to keep your nose to grindstone and keep everyone working.

"I can't control the past. The kids can't control the past. Every day, we've got to get better. When we talk, we want to be physical and hold each other accountable. Our ultimate goal is to be in the playoffs ever year."

The pieces are there for immediate success.

McCloskey inherits a wealth of offensive talent, beginning with running back Ja'Quan Gardner.

The nimble junior-to-be erupted onto the scene last fall, rushing for nearly 2,000 yards in 10 games. He set school records for rushing yards (1,985), rushing yards in a game (397), touchdowns (25) and TDs in a game (7).

Gardner is joined in the backfield by three-year varsity quarterback Abraham Navarro, currently locked in a duel with Kenny Lopez, a spot starter last fall.

McCloskey has spent the last few days familiarizing himself with those performances, watching all 10 games ... twice.

"We've got some athletes on the team," he said.

His track record should excite Central Valley fans. McCloskey has won at every stop, with every assignment.

He guided Waubun to a 19-13 record in three seasons as head coach, winning a North Tri-County League championship and clinching two section finals appearances in nine-man football.

He also coached the girls basketball team from 2005-11 and won at least one playoff game from 2009-11.

"I consider myself a player's coach and coach's coach," said McCloskey, who played quarterback for Southwest Minnesota State and a variety of semi-pro teams. "They know that I'll be loyal to them and always have their back. My motto is 'Results require discipline.' Discipline doesn't mean to be punished, but are you doing what's asked to the best of your ability?"

He and his wife, Lindsey, a teacher at Sierra High, decided to move west last July to experience California living.

After taking a year off, McCloskey is eager to get back on the sideline.

"I got bored pretty quick," he said with a chuckle. "I'm excited for this opportunity. I'm excited to pick up where I left off in Minnesota, being a leader of a program and doing what I love."

Source: http://www.modbee.com/2012/06/29/2264298/mccloskey-new-football-coach-at.html

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Wind Energy Update: Expanding Indian Wind IPP Community Prepares for Key Meeting this September

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Long Term Advantages of Chiropractic Treatment

Most patients only have one goal in mind throughout their initial visit to the chiropractic doctor, relief from pain. Although, it is completely normal that you have this dominant objective when you come in suffering from neck discomfort, lower back pain or headaches, it can easily make you lose out on the some other benefits of normal chiropractic care aside from pain relief.

Pressures from work, environmental elements, and some other every day stress agents increase nervous tension to the body, which can lead to different physical problems. Lot of people, particularly those with non-active lifestyles, are prone to backache due to long hours of sitting at work or working in a confined location for a long period. When the immediate pain relief aim is obtained, it is sensible to contemplate lasting spine health. Your spine is vital for the fitness of each organ in your body. Consider it. Just how will the organs like your heart or bladder function properly if they do not receive the appropriate impulses from the brain through your spinal nerves? Just how will they preserve and regenerate themselves efficiently?

Chiropractic therapy helps individuals attain better spinal health and boost overall well being. It can easily improve the joints range of movement, relieve lower back pain, and relieve spine pressure, arthritis, pain in the joints and lower extremities. Muscle rigidity can be eliminated because the therapy regulates the flow of blood. Chiropractic treatment entails making some spine adjustments to reposition it with the brain. Consequently, the body regains its balance and the flow of energy is back in order; thus, making it easy for the body to rejuvenate by itself. Chiropractic care is advantageous to individuals with energetic lifestyles since it improves body coordination and allows them to endure long hours of physical stress.

Breathing is an exceptional benefit that lots of people do not relate to good spinal health. Lung volumes decrease as you age. Below normal lung volumes have been connected with shorter life span. Whereas, low lung volume is said to increase the risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke and other heart conditions. On the other hand, better lung volumes mean longer lifespan and lesser heart issues. Better lung volumes generally follow a healthy spinal column by means of chiropractic treatment. Additional physical facilities that appear to benefit from improved spine health are reaction time, balance, visual acuity, and cardiovascular health. It is for that reason necessary to see and monitor your condition with reliable chiropractic practitioners regularly.

If you need a chiropractor in Murfreesboro TN or a clinic that offers physical therapy in Murfreesboro TN then you should visit the Total Family Physicians Center or call 615-745-3855.

Source: http://toddsblogs.com/healthandfitness/2012/06/28/long-term-advantages-of-chiropractic-treatment/

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Tricentenary for steam pioneer

27 June 2012 Last updated at 07:39 ET By Mark Kinver Environment reporter, BBC News

A series of conferences focusing on energy is being held around the UK to mark the 300th anniversary of the world's first steam engine.

In 1712, Devon-born Thomas Newcomen's engine began pumping water from a coal mine in Dudley, West Midlands.

The invention allowed miners to extract previously inaccessible coal.

The latest conference, organised by the Newcomen Society, is being held in Manchester and focuses on the development of the UK's nuclear sector.

"He was the engineer who first made a steam engine that could be used in industry, and therefore in commerce," explained the Newcomen Society's Michael Bailey.

"Engineering before his achievements was very much serving a rural community, with things such as water wheels and windmills.

"At this time, coal mines were just growing just in this country because we had effectively de-wooded ourselves.

"Because [charcoal] was no longer available as a result of the lack of woodlands, the demand for coal grew rapidly."

However, the supply was limited because as the mines went deeper, they became prone to flooding; hence the need for a device to pump out the water in order to extract previously inaccessible coal.

Once it became operational in September 1712, Mr Newcomen's design was quickly embraced by other mines.

His steam engine has been credited as being a key player in igniting the Industrial Revolution.

Nuclear centred

The Manchester conference is focusing on the UK's leading role in developing civil nuclear power stations.

"The North-West of England is where research and development within the nuclear sector is dominant," said Dr Bailey.

"Manchester and the region is the epicentre for the UK's nuclear industry."

Among the speakers at the gathering, hosted by the Museum of Science and Industry (Mosi), is Paul Howarth, managing director for the UK's National Nuclear Laboratory.

He told BBC News: "Newcomen was the father of the steam engine, and Manchester became the centre of the steam-powered Industrial Revolution."

Prof Howarth, co-founder of the University of Manchester's Dalton Institute, explained that the nuclear theme for the regional conference was appropriate.

"[This] is where first John Dalton, and later Ernest Rutherford and Hans Geiger, did their vital work on atomic theory. A century later, the region remains at the heart of the UK nuclear industry with around half of Britain's nuclear industry located here.

"In organisations like the National Nuclear Laboratory, we are keeping that spirit of nuclear innovation alive today as we harness the industry's best brains and most modern laboratory facilities to make sure that nuclear facilities in the UK are safe, clean and based on the best technology possible."

The museum is also using the conference to launch an appeal to collect more items that help tell the region's role in the development of nuclear energy.

Energy curator John Beckerson said: "From the steam power pioneered in the industrial revolution to the latest research in the nuclear industry, it's an innovative sector.

"We want to develop our energy collections in the years ahead to reflect changes in energy technology. The experts at this conference will be advising me on the best objects to help us tell these stories."

The conferences by the Newcomen Society, which was founded in 1920 and has almost 1,000 member all over the globe, will conclude at the end of July.

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Is there ice on the moon? Scientists spot shiny crater.

A team of MIT researchers found ice may make up 22 percent of the material on the moon's quite bright crater floor.

By Nancy Atkinson,?Universe Today / June 21, 2012

De Gerlache Crater, Shackleton Crater, Sverdrup Crater, Shoemaker Crater, Faustini Crater, Cabeus Crater, and Nobile Crater, as imaged by NASA

Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

Enlarge

Shackleton crater on the Moon?s south pole has been somewhat of an enigma, as its permanently shadowed interior has made it difficult to detect what is inside. But with new observations using the laser altimeter on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft, a team of researchers has essentially illuminated the crater?s interior with laser light, measuring its albedo, or natural reflectance.

Skip to next paragraph

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'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "off"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // --> If humans are ever to inhabit the moon, the lunar poles may well be the location of choice: Because of the small tilt of the lunar spin axis, the poles contain regions of near-permanent sunlight, needed for power, and regions of near-permanent darkness containing ice ? both of which would be essential resources for any lunar colony.

The area around the moon's Shackleton crater could be a prime site. Scientists have long thought that the crater ? whose interior is a permanently sunless abyss ? may contain reservoirs of frozen water. But inconsistent observations over the decades have cast doubt on whether ice might indeed exist in the shadowy depths of the crater, which sits at the moon's south pole.

The scientists found that the crater?s floor is quite bright, an observation consistent with the presence of ice. In fact, ice may make up 22 percent of the material on the crater floor, with possibly more ice embedded within the crater walls.

?We decided we would study the living daylights out of this crater,? said Maria Zuber from the Massachuesetts Institute of Technology, who lead a team to study Shackleton Crater. ?From the incredible density of observations we were able to make an extremely detailed topographic map.?

For laser altimeter observations, elevation maps can be created by measuring the time it takes for laser light to bounce down to the Moon?s surface and back to the instrument. The longer it takes, the lower the terrain?s elevation. Using these measurements, the group mapped the crater?s floor and the slope of its walls.

The team used over 5 million measurements to create their detailed map.

While the crater?s floor was relatively bright, Zuber and her colleagues observed that its walls were even brighter. The finding was at first puzzling. Scientists had thought that if ice were anywhere in a crater, it would be on the floor, where no direct sunlight penetrates. The upper walls of Shackleton crater are occasionally illuminated, which could evaporate any ice that accumulates.

A theory offered by the team to explain the puzzle is that ?moonquakes?? seismic shaking brought on by meteorite impacts or gravitational tides from Earth ? may have caused Shackleton?s walls to slough off older, darker soil, revealing newer, brighter soil underneath. Zuber?s team?s ultra-high-resolution map provides strong evidence for ice on both the crater?s floor and walls.

?There may be multiple explanations for the observed brightness throughout the crater,? said Zuber. ?For example, newer material may be exposed along its walls, while ice may be mixed in with its floor.?

The crater, named after the Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, is nearly 20 km (more than 12 miles) wide and over 3 km (2 miles) deep ? about as deep as Earth?s oceans. Zuber described the crater?s interior as ?extremely rugged ? It would not be easy to crawl around in there.?

She added that the new topographic map will help researchers understand crater formation and study other uncharted areas of the moon.

?I will never get over the thrill when I see a new terrain for the first time,? Zuber said. ?It?s that sort of motivation that causes people to explore to begin with. Of course, we?re not risking our lives like the early explorers did, but there is a great personal investment in all of this for a lot of people.?

Ben Bussey, staff scientist at Johns Hopkins University?s Applied Physics Laboratory, said the new evidence for ice in Shackleton crater may indeed help determine the course for future lunar missions.

?Ice in the polar regions has been sort of an enigmatic thing for some time ? I think this is another piece of evidence for the possibility of ice,? Bussey says. ?To truly answer the question, we?ll have to send a lunar lander, and these results will help us select where to send a lander.?

And for any humans explorers, a crater like Shackleton at the lunar poles may well be the best location for a base, as the poles contain regions of near-permanent sunlight needed for power, and regions of near-permanent darkness containing ice ? both of which would be essential resources for any lunar colony.

The team?s research was published today in the Journal?Nature.

Nancy Atkinson is Universe Today's Senior Editor. She also is the host of the?NASA Lunar Science Institute podcast?and works with the?Astronomy Cast?and?365 Days of Astronomy?podcasts. Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador.

Connect with Nancy on?Facebook?|?Twitter?|?Google +?|?Website

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Emerging tech harnessed to improve the world

15 hrs.

Ayesha Khanna and Parag Khanna , FastCompany.com

This is an excerpt from Hybrid Reality, a new e-book by Ayesha and Parag Khanna.

The word ?technology? combines the Greek tekhne and logos, symbolizing that technology, like language, is as intrinsic to the human condition as speech. Language, though, does not stand alone; it is part of a larger cultural system. Hence the German word Technik, which denotes not only technologies themselves, but also the skills and processes surrounding them. A century ago, leading Western philosophers appreciated the promise and peril of mass industrialization technologies. Oswald Spengler?s Der Mensch und die Technik: Beitrag zu einer Philosophie des Lebens (1931) proposed to integrate technology into a philosophy of life, arguing that Technik is a process that unites our economic, political, educational and cultural systems. The American sociologist Lewis Mumford, in his Technics and Civilization (1934), emphasized that technology must be more than just objects seen as ends in themselves (monotechnics); it must be a collection of ideas and methods that improve society (polytechnics). Technik unites the scientific and mechanical dimensions of technology (determinism) with a necessary concern for its effect on humans and society (constructivism). Technik, then, is the technological quotient of civilization.

Whereas geotechnology is about power, Technik is about adaptability. We live and die by our Technik, the capacity to harness emerging technologies to improve our circumstances. How does our culture deal with the distribution of technology? Can we devise strategies to maximize the upside of technology while minimizing the downside? Instead of West vs. East and democracies vs. dictatorships, actors ranging from cities to diasporas to corporations to cloud communities will compete and collaborate to attain Technik.

Science-fiction author William Gibson?s famous quip that the future is already here but unevenly distributed is the quintessential encapsulation of the fact that we differ in our stages of Technik. In a world of such diverse political forms??? ?democracies, monarchies, authoritarian states?? ?the ?war of ideas? will never be won. Instead, we will increasingly differentiate societies on the basis not of their regime type or income, but of their capacity to harness technology. Societies that continuously upgrade their Technik will thrive.

When standards of living are so perpetually threatened by technological shifts, shouldn?t Technik be a factor in evaluating societal stability? The contrast between the U.N.?s Human Development Index (HDI) and the reigning obsession with per capita GDP illustrates just how important it is to develop a more neutral, long-term-focused metric for progress. Many wealthy societies have low human-development scores (e.g., Arab petro-states), while China?s score is rising quickly even as its per capita income remains modest. We should layer on technology-focused criteria as well, such as the World Economic Forum?s Network Readiness Index (NRI), which assesses the quality of individual access, government regulation and business investment along more than 50 indicators. Not surprisingly, Sweden, Singapore and Finland are at the top, but interestingly, technocratic China scores higher than democratic India, and India higher than Italy. Good Technik requires a combination of the attributes that deliver high human development, economic growth, political inclusiveness and technology preparedness.

Which societies display the best Technik today? Given the high proportion of Asian leadership with science, engineering and math backgrounds, and their countries? export-led growth creating sizable surpluses, it is no surprise that first Japan, and then Korea and China, have invested so heavily in infrastructure to catch up with?? and potentially surpass????the West.

Japan?s technology obsession and idiosyncratic social traits make it a fascinating case study of the early Hybrid Age. Japan already has 38 of the top 50 cities ranked by speed of Internet connection. Its resilience as a society is demonstrated by its ability to rebound from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, keeping supply chains intact and rebuilding coastal communities. More broadly, Japanese society has embraced robots to such an extent that it seems to prefer a man-machine hybrid civilization to an ethnically mixed one. Robots are increasingly employed in building homes, caring for the elderly and even entertaining the masses???witness Hatsune Miku?s sold-out holographic concerts.

But there are costs to such a rapid embrace of robots: Males unable to meet traditional expectations become alienated and retreat into Internet addiction and virtual companionship, accelerating a decline in the birthrate. If any country becomes the first to feature human and robot citizens fruitfully co-creating a new hybrid culture, it is likely to be Japan?? but it needs to make sure there are enough humans there to enjoy it.

Singapore, once a colonial swamp governed from India, is today a seamlessly efficient cosmopolitan world capital of finance and, increasingly, innovation. Indeed, the lack of natural resources has made it an innovator in the most (un)expected areas, from fuel refining to water desalination. Now its Biopolis and Fusionopolis complexes aim to capture the edge in life sciences and immersive media. Peter Schwartz likes to call Singapore ?the best-run company in the world,? and indeed it is the leading role model in city-state Technik for entities from Abu Dhabi to Moscow to Kuala Lumpur. It must, however, evolve its political and educational systems to ensure that its own people are innovating in addition to all the talent it imports.

Finland, the so-called ?open-source nation,? is a leading Western example of Technik. Finland?s sophisticated population has embraced the digital life and pioneered mobile technology (Nokia) and an open-source operating system (Linux). In Helsinki, mobile phones are as much for banking and street navigation as for communication. In no other country does one so strongly feel that a mobile phone is part of one?s identity. It cannot be the weather that has earned the country the second position worldwide in the United Nations World Happiness Report.

Israel presents another example of rising Technik. Not only has it made major investments in biotechnology and other strategic sectors, but for several years its chief scientist gave out nonrecourse loans to more than 4,000 startups. Rwanda, Mongolia and many other nations are seeking to copy Israel?s blueprint as the ?startup nation.? Technology will long outlast the United States as Israel?s key ally.

Even a country still as overwhelmingly poor as India can elevate its Technik. Its mobile-phone penetration rate is skyrocketing, a biometric national identity card scheme is gradually delivering rights and services to hundreds of millions of previously disenfranchised citizens, digital kiosks in dusty villages are spreading access to information and education, and a sophisticated Right to Information Act requires publishing all laws on the Internet. Parts of India such as its tech hub, Bangalore, represent the leap from an agricultural to a service economy in a single generation.

The United States is home to some of the key pioneers of Technik, whose innovations help society adapt to the future?? yet it struggles to keep first-mover advantage over their innovations. Semiautonomous government agencies such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have invented technologies?? from the World Wide Web to robotic exoskeletons????that eventually gained widespread application. However, the U.S. share of global R&D, like global GDP, has fallen to around 20 percent, and since not enough of those funds are devoted to commercialization initiatives, the United States sometimes has to buy things it invented a decade ago from competitors abroad. Fortunately for America, it is still home to most of the world?s ?silicon superpowers?: IBM, Google, Cisco, Apple, Microsoft and more. Those companies? hardware and software platforms are the foundation for almost endless innovation by diverse users worldwide, a contribution no Europeans or Asians can match. Technik is big business: Led by American ingenuity, we are entering the age of the $1 trillion corporation?? ?and the first to cross the mark probably won?t be one of the usual suspects but a manufacturer of 3-D printers that allow anyone to turn virtual designs into physical objects.

IBM is perhaps the leading example of how firms themselves should perpetually seek to upgrade their Technik. Having spun off its hardware production divisions over the past decade, IBM now invests in artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, clean energy and devices for high-tech health care. As a globally integrated enterprise with almost 500,000 employees worldwide (including 100,000 in India alone), it is also a de facto leader in spreading Technik to other societies. For its part, Apple exhibits the clever trait of creativity with control, bringing large swaths of humanity into its exclusive orbit of products and interfaces. Its $100 billion in cash outstrips the GDP of more than 100 individual countries. Apple products are undeniably one of America?s most coveted exports.

Even companies in traditional sectors can demonstrate enormous staying power and Technik by diversifying businesses, exploring new markets and hedging risk. For example, super-major oil companies such as BP and Chevron are among the leading investors in clean energy, and Coca-Cola and McDonald?s own a growing share of the health food sector. Large players constantly ?spin in? dynamic newcomers, incorporating their innovations and modifying their business models to stay on top.

The struggle to attain Technik could become the new global class struggle: those whose wages and quality of life benefit from technology versus those perpetually lagging behind prevailing standards. In the new global class struggle, there would be no clear geographic boundaries such as North and South, since the disparities of Technik exist?? ?and could widen????both across and within nations and cities. Technik is therefore a quality we must all strive for: whether as individuals, companies, communities, cities or countries.

More from FastCompany:

1. What the most successful people do before breakfast
   
2. Untangling the web of poverty, obesity and food
   
3. Are you ready for your 'shark tank' moment?
   

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Congress faces Saturday deadline on highway bill (CNN)

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