Work Hard Play Hard

Ripping off jokes like he was doing the opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was feeling it Tuesday evening. He was back where he belongs, in front of his peers, here at the Pro Bowl, right in his element.

Yet as Manning stood in front of a ballroom full of the NFL's best players (30 of whom, as he pointed out, are at the game for the first time), Manning wasn't just being funny during this welcome meeting. He also had a very sharp message.

"The past two years, the play in this game has been unacceptable," Manning said. "If it was a walkthrough, your coach would say it was a bad walkthrough. And that's why (the league) could try to cancel this game."

When practices begin Wednesday, there is expected to be a very different tone, especially emanating from the AFC's team, in the wake of much public discourse about the future of the NFL's All-Star game.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear that the current quality of the game doesn't meet the league's standard, and a rewarding week enjoyed by the NFL's best players is in jeopardy. The players now recognize there's one way to fix this.

"It's simple," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey told NFL.com. "Just play hard. Like you do on a Sunday. If you do that, the rest will take care of itself."

Whether that's enough to truly save this game (and, perhaps as importantly, this event) remains to be seen. But if ever there was a year in which the right formula to save the Pro Bowl was in place, this might very well be it.

Manning and Bailey are two of just 10 players in NFL history to make 12 or more Pro Bowls. Manning has the most Pro Bowl berths among quarterbacks, and Bailey has the most among defensive backs. And it just so happens that their current coach, John Fox, has been assigned to coach the AFC this week.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reinstates Saints coach Sean Payton

With a still-angry city waiting to, uh, welcome him during Super Bowl XLVII week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell pretty much played the only card he had to appease the masses.

He reinstated New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton.

"I am thankful today Commissioner Goodell has granted me reinstatement," Payton said in a statement Tuesday. "As I stated back in March. I, along with Mickey Loomis take full responsibility for all aspects of our football program. I clearly recognize that mistakes were made, which led to league violations. Furthermore, I have assured the Commissioner a more diligent protocol will be followed.

"Lastly, I feel we have learned from our mistakes and are ready to move forward. I want to thank our owner, Mr. Benson and all of our great fans for the overwhelming support throughout this past year. I am excited to be back as Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints!"

The league announced Tuesday morning Goodell had informed Payton his season-long suspension for his role in the bounty case had ended. Payton, whose suspension lasted 281 days, can attend practices in nearby Mobile, Ala., for this week's Senior Bowl and can take part in Super Bowl festivities next week.

The NFL's press release announcing Payton's reinstatement said the coach met with Goodell on Monday and "acknowledged in the meeting his responsibility for the actions of his coaching staff and players and pledged to uphold the highest standards of the NFL and ensure that his staff and players do so as well."

JaMarcus Russell says he'll make NFL return

Hundreds of jokes have been told about JaMarcus Russell. This is not one of them: He's planning a comeback to the NFL.

Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday night that the 2007 No. 1 overall pick, one of the biggest draft bust in NFL history, is down from the 320 pounds he weighed last fall and is working out hard -- all in hopes that he could land an NFL gig.

SAINTS FANS: Goodell still Public Enemy No. 1

Jenifer Laurence

Continuing her week in the spotlight, Jennifer Lawrence tried her hand at hosting "Saturday Night Live," and the comedic odds were certainly in her favor.
The quirky "Silver Linings Playbook" starlet began her opening monologue addressing the Meryl Streep comment once again, but also playfully bashed all of the other Oscar contenders in her category.
"I would never trash-talk any of my fellow nominees at the Golden Globes," she said, "but the Oscars are another story."
RELATED: JENNIFER LAWRENCE RESPONDS TO 'I BEAT MERYL' BACKLASH
"Well, well, well. Look who it is," she said. "Jessica Chastain. More like, Jessica Chas-ain’t winning no Oscar on my watch!"
And on Naomi Watts, she added, "You were in 'The Impossible'. You know what else is impossible? You beating me on Oscar night.”
PHOTOS: GOLDEN GLOBES RED CARPET WINNERS AND LOSERS
Even little Quvenzhane Wallis wasn't spared.
"You think you can beat me?" she joked. "What you talkin' bout, Wallis? ... The alphabet called. They want their letters back."
Lawrence went on to participate in several hilarious skits, including a spoof of her own movie "The Hunger Games," reprising her role as Katniss Everdeen.

Super Bowl 2013

Now that the two teams for Super Bowl 2013 are known,  fans of the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens who don’t have tickets are off to the secondary market, where the average price of a ticket is about $3,195.14.
As of Monday morning, the lowest price for resale tickets was $2,168, according to ticket tracker TiqIQ.
Last year, the average price on Jan. 21 was $3,678.12, with the lowest price, $2,037.
Even before Sunday’s playoff games that determined who would compete in Super Bowl 2013, marketers and others in the industry were watching with anticipation who would be competing in one of the most-watched sporting events of the year.
Chris Matcovich, director of data and communications at TiqIQ, said the National Football Conference’s San Francisco 49ers and American Football Conference’s Baltimore Ravens going head to head would be the “golden game” for ticket sales for two reasons.
First, advertisers and the media have already become excited about the match-up between coaching brothers Jim Harbaugh, 49, of the 49ers, and John Harbaugh, 50, of the Ravens.
Second, the 49ers have a large market in San Francisco, meaning a large fan base that might  be willing to travel to New Orleans. Plus, the 49ers  haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1994.

“At the end of the day, marketers and ticket sellers are hoping for a good game and praying for the right teams,” Matcovich said.
Tim Nelson, president of Chicago-based advertising agency Trisect, said a match between the 49ers and Patriots may have been a favorite among other advertisers.
“I think some of the appeal in the games is the quality of the franchises, plus their heritage and history in the game,” said Nelson, who  grew up in New England and admitted he was  a Pats fan.
For any fan, getting a ticket to Super Bowl XLVII will cost a pretty penny.
The National Football League held a fan drawing of about 1,000 tickets last year.
In the past two weeks, the NFL began distributing tickets to its teams to sell to fans through drawings, or to distribute to sponsors. The NFL give out  17.5 percent of tickets to the AFC team and 17.5 percent go to the NFC team. The host of the 2013 Super Bowl game on Feb. 3, the New Orleans Saints, received 5 percent of tickets. Each of the remaining 29 NFL teams receives 1.2 percent of the tickets.
The official list prices for the Super Bowl’s upper bowl, lower bowl and club seats are $850, $950 and $1,250 for 2013, according to Brian McCarthy, an NFL spokesman.
McCarthy cautioned that the only guaranteed secondary ticket seller of the NFL is the NFL Ticketmaster Ticket Exchange.
“Buyer beware beyond that,” McCarthy said.

Lone Star College

But in an untimely triumph of ideology over common sense, Texas state legislators and conservative colleagues in Arkansas are pushing again for new laws that would allow handguns to be carried on college campuses.

Did any of these legislators ever go to college? It is hard to think of a worse idea than arming students who are—as the midday Lone Star College shooting reminds us—prone to feuds and fights that can easily escalate. Adding guns to that often alcohol-fueled mix exponentially increases the potential for avoidable tragedy.

NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre clarified the contrasts Tuesday night, in a surreal self-incriminating rebuttal to the president’s second inaugural address, arguing that “Obama wants to turn the idea of absolutism into a dirty word … Just another word for extremism.” It is.

But the disconnect between fantasy and reality is a hallmark of the hyper-partisan debates we have today. When confronted with the Sandy Hook Elementary School slaughter, only those embedded deep in the echo chamber could emerge with more guns in schools as the “solution” to the epidemic of gun violence in our schools.

Consider this: there have been four school shootings in the United States since Newtown: Taft Union High School in California; Hazard Community and Technical College in Kentucky; and the Stevens Institute of Business & Arts in St. Louis. That measurement is separate from the cops and firefighters killed or the more than 1,150 individuals murdered by guns across the country since Newtown, according to a tally by Slate and @GunDeaths. What more will it take to admit that we have a problem?


The reactionary impulse to look at school shootings and say the solution is more guns on campuses across America is a monument to idiotic group-think.
How about this reality check: American kids from kindergarten to eighth grade are 13 times more likely to be murdered with guns than children in other wealthy democracies, according to a study by the director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center at the School of Public Health.

This isn’t subtle. It is urgent. And dealing with the problem is not inconsistent with respecting the Second Amendment. But it does require confronting facts. After all, as my former boss Rudy Giuliani used to say, “You’re always safest when you have the courage to confront reality.”

But the “Party of Stupid”—as Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana has described as his Republican Party—seems unwilling or unable to confront the problem. According to one congressman who attended the GOP’s Williamsburg retreat, the issue of gun control did not even come up at the party conclave. “It might as well have been a trip to Mars,” he said. Except that we are actually exploring Mars right now.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry—who made the word “oops” immortal—is a vocal advocate of arming students and teachers on campuses, despite the strong objections of Francisco Cigarroa, chancellor of the University of Texas system, who said guns “will make a campus a less safe environment.” It’s a statement that would shock only the Flat-Earth Society.

In the late 1990s, interestingly, the NRA was a vocal proponent of the gun-free school zones it now decries as big-government liberalism run amok. Here’s what the organization said at the time: “First, we believe in absolutely gun-free, zero-tolerance, totally safe schools. That means no guns in America’s schools, period … with the rare exception of law enforcement officers or trained security personnel.” But sometimes politics changes principles.

I have no problem with increasing the number of concealed-carry permits, especially if the gun owners are trained to use their weapons responsibly. But the reactionary impulse to look at school shootings and say the solution is more guns on campuses across America is a monument to idiotic group-think, especially when confronted with the escalating body count.

Even in the romanticized days of the Old West, folks were often required to check their guns with the sheriff. And even Justice Scalia wrote in the Heller decision that “the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.” And the sainted Ronald Reagan backed the assault weapons ban in 1994.

But advocates of the Party of Stupid keep intruding on responsible civic conversation. The NRA’s solution—to post armed guards at every school—collided with reality at Lone Star College, which, like Columbine, had armed guards on duty. Likewise, when Perry looks at Newtown and finds blame in the “liberal media” for publicizing the Sandy Hook slaughter, and sees active attempts at solving the problem illegitimate. Instead he counsels only prayer.
By contrast, the Obama administration at least has started to enact some overdue executive orders. And there might even be hope for the Senate to pass a universal background check for gun purchases—something that 89 percent of Republicans even support, according to a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll.  But the professional activist class will pressure members of Congress to ignore their constituents.

The contrast on policy keeps being underscored by tragedies like Lone Star College. The alternative to sober, constructive constitutional action is denial, deflection, and death.

Anna Burns Welker

Last year, Tom Brady's wife had harsh words following the conclusion of the New England Patriots' season.

This year, it's the wife of receiver Wes Welker making news.

Welker's wife, Anna Burns Welker, used social-media site Facebook to take a few shots at Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis on Sunday night after the Patriots' 28-13 loss to the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.

"Proud of my husband and the Pats. By the way, if anyone is bored, please go to Ray Lewis' Wikipedia page. 6 kids 4 wives. Acquitted for murder. Paid a family off. Yay. What a hall of fame player! A true role model!" Burns Welker said in a since-deleted post on her personal Facebook page.

Burns Welker released a statement to sports blog Larry Brown Sports apologizing for her remarks.

"I'm deeply sorry for my recent post on Facebook," she said. "I let the competitiveness of the game and the comments people were making about a team I dearly love get the best of me. My actions were emotional and irrational and I sincerely apologize to Ray Lewis and anyone affected by my comment after yesterday's game.

"It is such an accomplishment for any team to make it to the NFL playoffs, and the momentary frustration I felt should not overshadow the accomplishments of both of these amazing teams."

Welker led the Patriots in receiving Sunday with 117 yards and a touchdown on eight catches in the loss, but could have played his last game for New England as he is set to become a free agent this offseason.

Lewis, who announced weeks ago that he would retire at the conclusion of Baltimore's season, led all players with 14 tackles.

After last year's Super Bowl, Brady's wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, while waiting for an elevator at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, lashed out at the Patriots' receiving corps for failing to haul in her husband's passes as she spoke to people in her group.

Welker had dropped a crucial pass late in the fourth quarter of the 21-17 loss to the New York Giants, while Patriots receiver Deion Branch and tight end Aaron Hernandez dropped passes on New England's final drive.

"My husband can not f------ throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time. I can't believe they dropped the ball so many times," Bundchen said, in a sequence captured on video.

Did Beyonce Lip-Sync the 'Star-Spangled Banner' at the Inauguration?

Did Beyonce lip-sync the "Star-Spangled Banner" at Monday's inaugural ceremonies? A U.S. Marine Band spokeswoman says they are not "in a position to assess."

Captain Kendra N. Motz, Media Officer of the U.S. Marine Band, said the Presidential Inaugural Committee requested they accompany Beyonce in her performance, but "there was no opportunity for Ms. Knowles-Carter to rehearse with the Marine Band before the Inauguration so it was determined that a live performance by the band was ill-advised for such a high-profile event."

"Each piece of music scheduled for performance in the Inauguration is pre-recorded for use in case of freezing temperatures, equipment failure, or extenuating circumstances," Motz said in a statement. "Regarding Ms. Knowles-Carter's vocal performance, no one in the Marine Band is in a position to assess whether it was live or pre-recorded."

Read About Criticism From Beyonce's 2009 Inaugural Performance Here

However, earlier today another spokesperson for the U.S. Marine Corps band told ABC News she did in fact lip synch.

"We all know Beyonce can sing," Master Sgt. of the U.S. Marine Band Kristin duBois told ABC News today. "We all know the Marine Corps Band can play. We do not know why she decided to go with the pre-recorded music at the last minute."

DuBois later added that, to her knowledge, Beyonce was not singing. It was Beyonce's voice, but a pre-recorded version heard by about a million people in Washington and millions more on television.

A representative for Beyonce did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The band was not playing while Beyonce was singing, duBois added, but it was live during the rest of the performances, including Kelly Clarkson's rendition of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee." The band was asked not to play for only the national anthem, duBois added.

Clarkson could be seen signaling to Beyonce after the national anthem performance and appeared to mouth the words, "It's so hard."

Clarkson spokeswoman Meghan Kehoe of RCA Records also confirmed to ABC News that "Kelly did sing live," but said she could not confirm whether Clarkson and Beyonce discussed the situation.

James Taylor, another performer at the cold, outdoor inauguration ceremony, Monday said he was happy to get through his performance "without any train wrecks."

"It's always hard for a guitar player to play when it's cold because your hands sort of stiffen up and you know nerves tend to do that to you anyway. So I was, you know, very relieved to have gotten to it without any major train wrecks," he told George Stephanopoulos and Diane Sawyer.

The issue surfaced today when Washingtonian magazine first reported that it didn't seem as though "The President's Own" United States Marine Band was playing during Beyonce's rendition.

The pop star, 31, seemed to have audio issues at one point during the song, pulling out her ear piece.

DuBois said she did not know why Beyonce took the ear piece out.

The Washingtonian also noted that Beyonce posted an Instagram photo of herself in a recording studio holding a copy of the sheet music to the "Star-Spangled Banner." It's not the first time for synced music at an Obama inauguration. In 2009, the cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the violinist Itzhak Perlman, because of cold and wind, did not play the version of John Williams' "Air and Simple Gifts" that was projected onto the Mall.

Monday's noon temperature of 40 degrees was 3 degrees above the average inauguration swearing-in temperature of 37, according to the Washington Post.

Michelle Obama gown designer

Judges in his native Taiwan seem unimpressed that Jason Wu has designed two inaugural gowns for U.S. first lady Michelle Obama.

Taiwan’s Intellectual Property Court ruled Monday that Wu’s new label “Miss Wu” could not be registered as a brand because it was not distinctive enough.
Wu is one of only several dozen Chinese surnames, and the court upheld a government trademark agency decision that “Miss Wu” was too generic. Wu claimed the label conjured the hoot of an owl, depicted on its logo.

He designed the white gown Obama wore for her husband’s first inauguration in 2009. On Monday, she appeared in another of his creations, a shiny red gown with a halter top.

Wu was born in Taiwan before moving to Canada at age 9.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Elder Scrolls Online trailer, beta electrify the imagination

Sweeping visuals, stunning swordsmanship, legendary warriors: expect to see all of these if you watch the new trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online. Beta registrations are now open too.



Developer Zenimax Online Studios wowed the gaming community today with a six-minute explosive cinematic trailer showing some heart-racing action in the grandiose world of Tamriel, the primary location of the upcoming The Elder Scrolls Online. Be sure to play the CGI trailer in high-definition and at full screen for maximum pleasure.

To add further excitement to the reveal, Zenimax also opened the doors to Elder Scrolls Online beta registrations today, giving anyone the chance to get in on the action. Of course, to get in, you'll need to submit answers to an array of personal questions (name, birthday, and so on) and submit full system diagnostic information. Zenimax also requires that you answer questions about any other relevant MMORPGs you've played; your play style (solo, group, etc.); preferred activities in MMORPGs; and previous stints as a beta tester.

If that wasn't demanding enough, you then have to tell the developer why you should be chosen as a beta tester. Amusingly, a progress bar hangs over the Web page and indicates your chance rating at even being selected at all -- fortunately, I scored an above-average, so I assume experience matters.
Zenimax and publisher Bethesda Softworks didn't disclose when The Elder Scrolls Online would begin beta testing, or reveal much information other than the fact that PC and Mac gamers can participate. Read the beta FAQ for more details, or listen to the latest Bethesda podcast featuring developers answering some more questions about the upcoming experience.

Face of fake girlfriend: 'I empathize' with Manti Te'o

The woman who unwillingly became the face of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend speaks about finding out her photos were used without her consent, saying she supplied one because she thought it was for a slideshow to comfort the victim of a car accident.

Raised to be polite and empathetic toward others, Diane O’Meara said Wednesday that she thought she was simply doing a favor for a former high school classmate when she unknowingly became part of a fake girlfriend hoax involving Notre Dame star linebacker Manti Te’o.
O’Meara, 23, claims to have had photos from her Facebook account taken by alleged hoax perpetrator Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, 22, which were used to represent Te'o's girlfriend Lennay Kekua, who supposedly died of leukemia in September but turned out to be a fake who never existed. O’Meara’s pictures appeared on Kekua’s fake Twitter account and were used in news reports at the time of her alleged death, but O’Meara said she had never heard of Te’o until the reporters from Deadspin.com who broke the story contacted her last week.

O’Meara told Savannah Guthrie on TODAY Wednesday that Tuiasosopo, her former classmate at Paraclete High School in Lancaster, Calif., reached out to her on Facebook and described in great detail how he and his cousin had been in a traumatic car accident earlier in 2012. She claims that Tuiasasopo told her that he wanted to do a photo slideshow for his cousin for his birthday, and hoped O’Meara could supply a staged picture of herself holding up a sign that read “MSMK.’’
The photo later appeared on Kekua’s fake Twitter account, raising the question of why O’Meara would send a photo to someone she claims to have barely spoken with in high school and had not heard from in five years.

Face of Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend: Story is 'twisted and confusing'
“I could see how people would think that, but we’re raised to be polite, we’re raised to have a kind heart,’’ O’Meara said. “He repeatedly reached out to me on Facebook, and I almost felt guilty about not submitting a photo with this sign for this photo slideshow. He went as far as sending me a photo with his cousin with head trauma, bandages, in the hospital with him, and out of the kindness of my heart, I thought I was just comforting somebody.’’
Te’o told ESPN that he was a victim of an elaborate hoax and was not involved in any way. He claims to have never met Kekua face to face, saying he only spoke to her online and over the phone. However, he admitted in a taped interview with ABC’s Katie Couric on Tuesday that he lied to the media and public that Kekua was real even after he knew it was all a hoax. He said he received a phone call on Dec. 6 from someone alleging to be Kekua, who supposedly had died on Sept. 12, yet still stuck to the story about Kekua in interviews leading up to the BCS championship game against Alabama on Jan. 6.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around this entire confusing situation myself,’’ O’Meara said. “If Manti is really innocent in this entire situation, I empathize with him because I assume we would have the same emotions – frustration, anger, confusion.’’

O’Meara, a marketing executive in Los Angeles, also didn’t appreciate having her picture splashed out there as Te’o’s alleged girlfriend because she is currently in a long-term relationship.
Manti Te'o admits 'catering' his stories about Kekua

“It’s difficult and it’s definitely very shocking,’’ she said. “I have my own boyfriend of five years, a serious committed relationship, and to hear that you’re the face of a separate relationship, it’s hard to see.’’

She has hired an attorney, but said she is not pursuing any legal action at this time. Tuiasosopo has not returned numerous calls from NBC News seeking comment. O'Meara told NBC's Miguel Almaguer on Tuesday that Tuiasasopo had called her, admitting to the hoax and apologizing.
“The lesson learned is that social media and the way that it’s growing, there’s definitely a lack of protection and privacy laws,’’ O’Meara said.

The sports world has been having a field day with the story since it broke. The meme known as "Te'oing" was born, with people posting photos of themselves with their arm around no one to signify having a fake girlfriend. The San Jose Giants, a minor league baseball team in the San Francisco Giants organization, announced they are holding "Lennay Kekua Night'' on April 12. The game will feature catfish on the menu in an allusion to the MTV show "Catfish" about people duping others with fake identities online.

The NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers created a "Manti Te'o Kiss Cam" showing a person sitting next to an empty seat. The NHL's Dallas Stars showed an empty seat on the Jumbotron while welcoming "Manti Te'o's girlfriend" to the game.

Australian Open All Atwitter About Sloane Stephens

Sloane Stephens wiped away tears as she thought about hanging a poster of herself on a wall in the place of her childhood hero.

The 19-year-old American seemed to be in shock, barely able to compute how she'd produced the upset of the Australian Open by beating 15-time major winner Serena Williams in the quarterfinals Wednesday. It was her first trip that far in seven Grand Slam tournaments.

A poster of Williams had adorned the wall on Stephens' bedroom as a child. Now, in her view, they're peers.

"This is so crazy," Stephens said in a post-match TV interview after rallying from a set and a break down against an injured and angry Williams. "Oh my goodness. I think I'll put a poster of myself (up) now."

The 29th-seeded Stephens won 3-6, 7-5, 6-4. She calmed the nerves and started swinging harder and lifting her tempo at 4-3 in the second.

That's when Williams jarred her back trying to pull up before the net as she chased down a drop shot. Williams let out a loud scream and hopped away. Stephens had a look back over the net, seemingly in concern.

Williams started taking time between points, limping, and trying to stay in the shade at the back of the court.

Williams later called for the trainer between games. She had a three-minute medical timeout and came back serving at a pace well below her usual speed.

"Well, at that point you just have to pretend like nothing's wrong," Williams said. "You think of worst case scenarios. You know, I just thought, Ok, just pretend nothing's wrong and just try your best."

Stephen's surprise win did instant wonders for her celebrity.

Before the match, Stephens said she had about 17,000 followers on Twitter. A few hours after reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal, she had more than 40,000.

And she sounded like an excited schoolgirl as she gushed about receiving a congratulatory tweet from American singer John Legend.

"I want John Legend to sing at my wedding!" she said. "I was like, 'Oh my God. He tweeted me. What can I do?'"

She re-tweeted the sentiments from Legend: "Just found out her dad is John Stephens from the Pats. (that's my real name) I had his football card when I was a kid. I was so proud, ha ha."

Stephens' father, former New England Patriots player, died in 2009.

Retired basketball star Shaquille O'Neal sent a message that read: "When u defeat a legend you become a legend." The Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki wrote, "Wow. What a win for Sloane. Some amazing defense. She gets every ball back."

Stephens checked her phone during her post-match news conference and said there were 213 text messages waiting for her.

Like many a teenager, her first concern was about how high her phone bill might be.

"I thought it was free to receive text messages, but someone told me otherwise," she said.

Her mother "is going to be like, 'The money you were going to buy yourself something nice with, you're going to pay your phone bill.'"

She's set for her biggest payday, regardless of the result in Thursday's semifinal against defending champion Victoria Azarenka, who beat two-time major winner Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 6-1 in the previous match in Rod Laver Arena.

The semifinal losers earn $525,000, double what the quarterfinal losers receive. For Williams, there's a further $1,500 deduction after she was fined for racket abuse.

Stephens had practiced with Williams for the Fed Cup, but had played her only once, a straight sets loss at the Brisbane International earlier this month.

Lone Star college 'gunman' charged in shooting

A suspect has been charged with aggravated assault over a shooting that left three people wounded at a college in the US state of Texas, say police.

Carlton Berry, 22, shot a man during an argument, police said, and apparently shot himself. He and the other person in the dispute were taken to hospital.

A maintenance worker was injured in the cross-fire.

The latest incident of gun violence, it comes amid a major push for gun control by the Obama administration.

The shooting happened outside near a campus library at about 12:30 local time (18:30 GMT) on Tuesday.

Hiding under table

Police spent about 90 minutes scouring the campus and the surrounding woods for the gunman.

Continue reading the main story

Mr Berry arrived soon afterwards a hospital and told medical workers he had accidentally shot himself in the hip.

He remains in hospital under police guard.

Police have said one of the two men involved in the argument was enrolled at the college.

In total, four people were brought to two hospitals, including a woman who suffered a medical emergency. One person was critically wounded.

Witnesses told local broadcaster KHOU they had seen a man pull out a gun during an argument with another man.

"I saw two dudes basically get into an altercation and the dude that shot, he basically got angry and started shooting the other guy," Brittany Mobley said.

Gun in schools

A student who was leaving an emergency-responder class said he had helped two injured people, one who had been shot in the knee and another with a wound to the lower buttocks.

The shooting occurred outside between an academic building and the library, an official said


The campus, about 20 miles (32km) north of Houston, has some 19,000 students.

Several school districts in Texas have allowed staff to carry guns on campus. Guns are not allowed on university campuses, but the state legislature may debate a bill to allow it this year.

The US gun debate gained new impetus last month after a school shooting that left 20 children and six teachers dead in Newtown, Connecticut.

Last week, President Barack Obama unveiled the most sweeping gun control proposals in two decades, including calls for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines as well as wider background checks on gun buyers.

What's the most powerful marketing technique on the Web?

What's the most powerful marketing technique on the Web? Search Engine positioning? Perhaps. But did you know that some of the most successful web marketers don't bother much with the Search Engines?

They put most of their effort into another technique that's just as powerful and is much more under their control.

They write Ezine Articles.

There are tens of thousands of Ezines being published every month, with a collective audience of millions.

And the editors of most of those Ezines are all looking for quality content for their newsletters.

If you master this technique you can get your name and your website URL in front of 100,000 or even a million readers.

Right now there's a shortage of good Ezine Articles.

So if you write well and you know how to do research on the Internet, there's a huge market waiting for you.

But there are some tips for writing and publishing Ezine Articles. Here they are:

(A) Writing Your Ezine Articles:

(1) Pick a topic that you know something about (however little) and then go to the Search Engines and find as many websites as you can that deal with that subject.

As well as collecting information for your article, make a note of any URLs that offer free resources dealing with the topic of your article. Include those URLs in your article.

(2) Once you've done the basic research, write the title of your article in the middle of a blank page and circle it. Then jot down your information in lines that radiate out from your title, like the spokes of a wheel. This technique is called 'Mind Mapping' and it's a very effective way of organizing your ideas.

You can find more information on Mind Mapping at:

http://www.mind-map.com/

(3) An increasing number of Ezine Publishers will not accept articles that are promoting a product you sell. So, keep your article free of affiliate links; avoid mentioning any products or services for which you receive a commission.

(4) At the end of your article, attach a 5- or 6-line 'Resource Box' that includes your website URL and/or your email address.

(5) When you have finished your article, do NOT send it off straight away. Let it lie fallow for 2 or 3 days and then come back and read it again. You'll be amazed at the improvements you can make. Those final improvements are what makes the difference between an article that gets published and one that doesn't.

(B) Publishing Your Ezine Articles:

(6) There are two ways of getting your articles published: 'Individual Submissions' and 'General Distribution'.

'General Distribution' will get your article in front of many more readers, per unit of effort expended, than 'Individual Submission', and I suggest you use this method before making Individual Submissions.

There are basically two kinds of 'General Distribution': Announcement Lists and websites.

Here are some Article Announcement Lists:

article_announce-subscribe@egroups.com free-content-subscribe@onelist.com publishinyours-subscribe@onelist.com articles_archives-subscribe@egroups.com

Here are some Websites that provide Free Content to Ezine Publishers:

Info Zone
Ezine Articles
Idea Marketers
iSyndicate
Media Peak
Making Profit
Web Source

(7) Once you've used these 'General Distribution' techniques, then submit your article to individual Ezines.

However, before making individual submissions, find out (a) if the Ezine Publisher accepts article submissions, (b) what the Publisher's guidelines are for article submissions.

My free Ezine Directory gives you this information:
'The Free Directory of Ezines'

I have also produced an eBook called 'Get Published! The Directory of Ezines that accept Article Submissions' and you can download it free at:
http://www.netmastersolutions.com/getpub.html

(8) Format your article to 65 characters per line and make sure it contains no spelling mistakes. With the availability of spell-checkers there's really no excuse for spelling mistakes. If your article does contain spelling mistakes, many Publishers will just discard your article.

(9) Don't submit articles to the same Ezine Publisher more than once a month.

(10) Address the Ezine Publisher personally, and make sure that the message accompanying your article is very courteous - you're asking the Publisher to read your article and give you some of her valuable time and she probably gets dozens of article submissions a week.

Every success to you!

benefits for writing articles and publishing online

Submitting articles to ezines is a practice with a dual impact on your profits: it helps you decrease advertising expenses while increasing sales.

Here are seven benefits for writing articles and publishing online:

Resource box
The resource box is a short paragraph about the author that publishers usually request with article submissions. It's included at the bottom of the published article and is an opportunity to brand yourself, your business, and your website. The minimum it should contain is your name, business name, and web site address. Space permitting, the resource box should also include a tagline, e-mail address and credentials.

Inbound links
Every time your article is published there should be a live link to your website in the resource box. This give you one more inbound link to help the search engine ranking of your site. Be sure to include important keywords in the link text for extra points with the search engines.

Building credibility
Published articles help establish your expertise. You develop a position of authority in your field and recognition with respect to the topics you cover in your writing. It's easier to gain a prospective client's trust when you have the credibility of being a published author. Prospects who trust you are more likely to make a purchase.

Receptive audience
The people who receive the ezines containing your articles have subscribed because they're interested in that particular ezine's topics. Thus, your article and business information are being delivered to people who have voluntarily pre-selected themselves to receive the sort of information about which you write. Compound this benefit by submitting each of your articles to several ezines.

Exposure
When your article is sent out to a publisher's list, it's an excellent result of your efforts. In addition, many publishers place articles from the current issue on their homepage, and then archive the articles. Visitors often refer to the archives before deciding whether to subscribe, and so the exposure you receive from each article extends beyond the initial publication date.

Leverage
You have content that you can leverage when you write articles. Whatever you write can be used for multiple purposes. For example, develop an article into a seminar presentation, and expand the material to make an ebook. At the very least, publish the article on your own website. Search engines look favourably on new content.

Viral marketing
Allow ezine publishers to include your articles in their free ebooks, as long as your resource box is included. Since these are being given away, your ad multiplies. Also, submitting articles to publishers that have a free content directory on their site will allow visitors to republish your article intact, again multiplying your exposure.

Conclusion
If you could benefit from any of these seven reasons for writing articles, then the time for action has arrived. Go to any search engine, and type in a phrase like ‘ezine publishers’. You could narrow the search by including the topics you'd write and include the word free.

Once you've found some publishers, and you know there's an audience out there for your subject, write your first article. Be sure to proof-read your finished article; your intention is to establish credibility, and to brand your business. A well-written and polished piece will help you accomplish a favourable result.

Once you've gotten your first article published, go ahead and do it again, continuing to spread the word about you and your business all over the Internet.

This article was written by Loren Beckart. Author and marketing consultant, Loren is Marketing VP at ClickTracs Advertising, a resource for highly targeted, profitable traffic for online businesses.

Way toFast Indexing on google

Most internet marketers choose article marketing to achieve publicity and construct backlinks for their website. Article marketing is the one marketing method that meets and exceeds the necessities however solely the nicely-written content material makes the perfect use of keywords so search engines can index them. The uniqueness and the standard of the content material matters in regard to Google indexing. Creating fascinating and informative content is a unbelievable method to construct a community within your goal audience.

Article Marketing:

Choosing a perfect title is the initial point of article marketing. You need to make it simple for Google to find you and use a title in such a method that everybody is using in his or her search. There is not any reason to put in writing an article on a topic that nobody is trying for.

Create content around the keyword so as you've got the keyword in the title. You wish to have the keyword within the title, within the first three lines of the first paragraph and close to the bottom of the article. Google has algorithms that may have a look at content and calculates key phrase density. If your key phrase density is simply too excessive they are going to penalize your article. Each ones subsequent question would be what number of is simply too many, and what number of will probably be just enough? Use your key phrase(s) solely four to six occasions in your article.

Few well-known article directories are incessantly crawled by Google bot and therefore submitting to those article directories will fetch you good results. In a rare case situation, your article won't be indexed for per week or extra period. This is the place you typically need to interfere to verify your articles get crawled and indexed at super speed.

Few Frequent Tricks for Article indexing:

Social bookmarking sounds poplike such a good idea for article indexing. You can book mark your article link to sites like Digg, Twitter, Reditt, Mixx and different standard bookmarking sites. There are a number of social book marking sites to decide on from. While bookmarking, simply be certain that the outline has your target keyword. Your description content must be interesting and attractive one. These websites are of excessive page rank and get up to date all through the day. And it is quite apparent that Google would visit your book mark and comply with your article link.

"Pinging" is one other course of which may help your article to be indexed rapidly. Ping alerts the search engine about new contents. There are several softwares and online tools have been available for pinging.

Submitting your article's RSS feed to varied RSS directories and search engines like google and yahoo performs a vital part in indexing. Many popular article directories give RSS feeds which you'll be able to submit to RSS directories.

These are the very best options in your articles to be listed by Google. To Discover Whether Your New Submit Listed by Google, only an easy Google search will do the issues for you.

article marketing to gain exposure and construct back link

Most internet marketers prefer article marketing to gain exposure and construct back links for their website. Article marketing is the one marketing methodology that meets and exceeds the necessities but solely the well-written content makes one of the best use of key phrases so serps can index them. Quality and unique content material will certainly be listed by Google quickly. Creating interesting and informative content is a fantastic option to build a neighborhood within your goal audience.

Article Marketing:

Choosing an ideal title is the initial level of article marketing. You want to make it easy for Google to seek out you and use a title in such a manner that everyone is using in his or her search. Article a couple of boring topic will never attract visitors to your article.

Create content across the keyword so as you have the keyword within the title. You need to have the key phrase within the title, in the first three traces of the primary paragraph and near the underside of the article. You need to know how the page you need will measure up in Google and hence it's essential calculate your keyword density as well. If your key phrase density is simply too excessive they are going to penalize your article. Each ones subsequent question would be what number of is simply too many, and how many will probably be simply enough? Use your key phrase(s) only 4 to 6 times in your article.

Few famous article directories are regularly crawled by Google bot and therefore submitting to those article directories will fetch you good results. In a rare case state of affairs, your article won't be indexed for every week or extra period. This is where you typically need to interfere to verify your articles get crawled and listed at super speed.

Few Frequent Steps for Article indexing:

Social bookmarking sounds poplike such a good suggestion for article indexing. You can e book mark your article link to sites like Digg, Twitter, Reditt, Mixx and different widespread bookmarking sites. Honestly talking, there are a whole lot of popular bookmarking websites to pick from the basket. Ideally it's higher to have a small description filled with couple of goal keywords. Your description content must be interesting and enticing one. These websites are of excessive web page rank and get up to date all through the day. And it is quite apparent that Google would visit your book mark and comply with your article link.

"Pinging" is one other course of which may also help your article to be indexed rapidly. Ping alerts the search engine about new contents. There are several softwares and online tools had been available for pinging.

Submitting your article's RSS feed to numerous RSS directories and serps performs an important half in indexing. Many popular article directories give RSS feeds which you'll be able to submit to RSS directories.

These are the methods for getting Google your article links indexed by Google. To Find Whether Your New Submit Listed by Google, only an easy Google search will do the issues for you.

value of an internet site as part of their overall online strategy

I'm sure that many people who run businesses have an understanding of the value of an internet site as part of their overall online strategy, but how many business owners fully grasp the need for SEO, PPC, internet affiliate marketing and other online marketing elements?


Having a web page designed is obviously vital - whether or not you are the representative of a well-known enterprise or the owner of a small company with no other personnel than yourself The truth is that more and more people are looking towards the web to find their service providers and if you don't have a web site you will not have the capacity to share in a slice of the world wide web pie. Obtaining data this way is quick, easy and effortless and folks and company owners alike are employing this to their full advantage.


What a lot of people unfortunately don't realize, is that a website alone is not good enough Having an internet site without any website marketing efforts can be compared to a new retail outlet on the outskirts of town If this shop owner doesn't promote, no one will know that they exist A web site also needs to be "advertised" in order to perform well Naturally advertising might include elements such as business cards, catalogues and flyers, but there is also a certain level of internet promotion that is required. Essentially the most often used marketing tools is SEO (search engine optimization) and PPC (pay per click advertising).


SEO is the procedure whereby you boost your website's rankings on yahoo and google. Let's say for instance you are a family lawyer: If individuals search for a divorce lawyer you want to be on the 1st page of the search engines like google, correct? No person in their right mind will browse to page 10 of the search results when looking for a divorce lawyer No, only the initial couple of results on the first page will be researched in further details. SEO is a time-consuming process and often several months are required before results can be viewed, but it is vital that search engine optimization forms a part of your online marketing strategy.


PPC or pay per click conversely, delivers immediate results. When you want your site to be found for a specific key phrase, you can pay the search engines like google for each time that someone click through to your website. Like the SEO results in the paragraph above, your site details will still appear on the top of page one of the search engines. The only difference now is that it is not regarded as natural results, as you are in fact pushing your website to the top. Every time someone clicks on your website link, you will pay the various search engines for the lead.


Most likely the smartest way to approach website marketing is to combine SEO and PPC. As mentioned previously, SEO takes time to deliver results while PPC results are instant. Therefore, it is a good idea to combine the two campaigns and then gradually cut on your PPC costs once your SEO campaign starts delivering natural or organic results.

Search engine optimization

Search engine optimization is not always the easiest thing to get done correctly. It requires time and a great deal of patience which people do not always have. This can lead to people looking for short cuts and results in the use of practices which are frowned upon and even penalised by the search engines like google. Here are some things to look out for if you're intending upon doing a bit of search engine optimization. 

Hyperlink exchanges are not a good suggestion. The concept is that every web site within the network places a link on their website for each other website within the network. This can lead to a lot of hyperlinks for all the web sites in the network, yes. However the links commonly are not good quality links and they will also be reciprocal links. Mutual hyperlinks usually do not count for a lot within the search engine optimization ranking algorithms. There is also the chance that you're going to get hyperlinks from less than desirable sites such as websites with adult only content and gambling sites. Hyperlinks from sites like these are sometimes penalised by the search engines. 

Watch out for schemes which claim to be able to get you thousands of hyperlinks. these will be paid links and may be upon sites that are not relevant to your site. They will additionally count for pretty much absolutely nothing in search engine optimization terms. The hyperlinks to your site need to be relevant and also have relevant anchor-text. Just having a lot of hyperlinks is not enough. The hyperlinks nee d to be of excellent quality and relevant a well as abundant. 

Watch out for schemes that claim to help you get links on high page rank sites. Your hyperlink will most likely be upon some imprecise internal page. This means that the actual page where your actual link is will have a minimal page rank and be nearly as worthless as absolutely no link at all. 

When you're building links for the purposes of search engine optimization the idea is to make sure that the links are on good quality websites as well as good quality pages. Do not just submit nay old content material to a bunch of websites and put hyperlinks to your website at the bottom of the page. This content of the web page needs to be relevant to your site and the site has to have a good reputation. They don't necessarily have to have a good page rank, they must however have a very good reputation. Do not bother with sites that have no page rank or even have been de-indexed a few times in their existence. Rather look for sties which have been around for a long time. This will get you links which will last.

Search engine optimization is filled with potential pitfalls and traps. Do a lot of research on the device or offer before you accept or even purchase it. Do not place your website's status or rankings at risk by engaging in less than honest search engine optimization practices. You will run the risk of getting your site permanently de-indexed. 

Way To earn Money

You can also earn money online on regular basis of you have basic computer knowledge. That's all needed by the online jobs. There are thousands of blogs and websites that tell the ways to earn money online but very few of them answer the questions asked by most of the people. I will try to answer some of the common questions asked by the people who want to earn money online but they don't have proper knowledge about it.

Can I Earn Money Online Without Investment?

The people need the answers of several questions related to earning money online. Many people ask that can we earn money online without investment. You can definitely earn money online without investing a single dollar. There are a few spams that take money people for hiring them and then run away. These are only a few cases and approximately 80% of online jobs do not require any investment. Among the remaining 20% online jobs, only 5% to 7% jobs require heavy investment and the remaining requires a very small investment which is mostly below $50.

How Can I Find the Job to Earn Money Online?

Most of the people don't know how to search job online. The job application method on internet is very different from the conventional methods. There is a large number of websites that keeps on uploading the latest jobs on daily basis. You just have to sign up on these websites and make your profile. After that you can apply on any job of your choice. You can start applying on more than one job as this will increase your chances of getting a job.


What Type Of Jobs Can I Get Online?

People have a perception that all the online jobs are related to computer sciences and information technology. It is not the case. You can get any type and nature of job according to your area of interest. The internet provides jobs on ever subject such as marketing, human resource management, real estate business, health, sports, healthy living, physics, chemistry, biology, accounting, book keeping, data entry, management, administrative work etc. Either you have a background of science or arts; you can easily get a job accordingly. This is the best thing about the online jobs. They are very versatile in nature which has made the online method the effective and efficient one.

Is There Any Age Limit to Do Job Online

In the real world scenario, most of the jobs have specific age limit and the people lesser or more than that limit cannot apply on such jobs. Moreover, the offline jobs usually provide fewer opportunities to the teenagers and senior citizens but the online jobs are totally different. You can earn money online at any age. Even if you are a child of 12 years then still there are many jobs for you as well. In the same way, the retired people above the age of 60 who do not usually get any offline job can do a large number of jobs online. Moreover, there are no issues of gender in working online. Either you are a male or female, if you have the ability to perform the job task effectively then you can easily earn money online.

What Are The Work Timings In The Online Jobs?

There is no fixed working time for the offline jobs and that is the best part of these jobs. You can complete your job tasks at any time. Many people do online jobs as a short term job. They get the intrusions from the employer, fix the timeline for completing the task and then complete the job in their free time. There are very few jobs in which the employers require you to talk with them within the specific time as mentioned by the employer. You can earn money online either by doing a permanent job or through a part time job.