Answers Archive ? Top Benefits of Having a Cheap Mobile Phone

Any person who will afford to own a mobile phone is sporting one nowadays. Gone are the days when a mobile phone was considered to be the prerogative of only your rich. The availability connected with cheap cell phones today means even the lower middle class people to buy one.
If you are still wondering whether or not to buy any cheap mobile, consider the following benefits that a cell phone has.
Stay connected anywhere and also anytime.

This is the simplest benefit of owning a mobile bargains. You can stay connected along with any person anywhere in the world. Than ever before when you used to stay at home a long queue before a phone booth together to wait endlessly to communicate with your loved ones across the 7 seas.
SMS
When the SMS was introduced, mobile phone businesses were apprehensive involving whether it would be successful. They thought exactly why a person would send a message to someone when they can call them straightaway. But today, SMS is a widely used services all over the world.
Help in case of emergencies
Suppose that you?re stuck in the center of a traffic quickly pull and getting late on an appointment or your car has categorised somewhere. A mobile can be of great help such emergencies. You can phone help immediately.
Navigation within your hand
Mobile phone technological innovation is being constantly improved. Even cheap cell phones today are being equipped with GPRS programs. You?ll never get lost wherever if your cell phone may connect to the web. The particular internet will guide you on your destination.
Wholesome entertainment
Should you have a mobile phone in your hands, you won?t need to depend on the TV or perhaps your computer to amuse you. It?s all presently there in your cell phone. Even though you have a cheap cell phone, you?d be able to play games, click pictures, as well as listen to music. Numerous cheap mobile phones are also competent at recording videos.
Transferring data
Most mobile phones, these days, are equipped with Bluetooth engineering which allows the move of files, photos, music etc. between two handsets within a few moments. You can perform each one of these activities even if you unique a cheap mobile device.
A mini computer
Cellphones almost resemble a computer these days. The latest kinds can surf the particular internet at amazing rates of speed, thanks to the advent of 3rd generation technology. In fact, currently, you don?t have to wait for your own newspaper. You can simply get on the internet and get the latest news, watch recently released movies along with do a lot more.
Enhancing your small business
A mobile bargains is a great aid in expanding your business. You may send message to be able to potential clients, advertising your promotion. The cell thus also provides for a great tool for brand name promotion.
So, if you are still contemplating regardless of whether or not to buy any mobile, think simply no further. There are so many things with regards to a cell phone.

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Source: http://www.questions.org.uk/2012/07/top-benefits-of-having-a-cheap-mobile-phone/

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Obama seeks to keep once-red Virginia on his side

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Against an increasingly bitter campaign backdrop, President Barack Obama is seeking to shore up support for his re-election in Virginia, a state he won four years ago ending decades of domination by Republican presidential candidates.

For challenger Mitt Romney, the state now looms as a battleground crucial to his presidential hopes.

Obama will travel to the southeast and southwest corners of the state Friday, courting young and African-American voters in the Virginia Beach-Hampton area before turning to more conservative Roanoke, unwilling to cede votes to Romney. On Saturday, he will campaign in Richmond, a once-staunchly Republican region that he won in 2008.

Both campaigns acknowledge Virginia's new role as a fiercely contested state after years of being virtually overlooked in presidential politics. Obama won the state by a 53-46 margin over his 2008 rival, Sen. John McCain.

Obama's visit comes after a day of hostile exchanges between the campaigns over Romney's tenure at the private equity firm he founded in 1984. Documents filed by the company, Bain Capital, conflict with Romney's statements about when he gave up control of the firm. Both sides accused the other of being dishonest.

The documents, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, place Romney in charge of Bain from 1999 to 2001, a period in which it outsourced jobs and ran companies that fell into bankruptcy. Romney and his aides say he left Bain in 1999 to run the Salt Lake City Olympics, and a Bain statement said Romney "remained the sole stockholder for a time while formal ownership was being documented and transferred to the group of partners who took over management of the firm in 1999."

Meanwhile, both Obama and former President Bill Clinton say Romney has invited close scrutiny of his business acumen because he's been selling himself as heavily qualified to improve the economy.

"I think it is entirely appropriate to look at that record and see whether, in fact ... his focus was creating jobs and he successfully did that," Obama said in an interview with CBS's Charlie Rose, portions of which were broadcast Friday on "CBS This Morning."

Obama said Romney's business past doesn't disqualify him in any way for office, but said, "I also think it's important if that's his main calling card, if his basic premise is that 'I'm Mr. Fix-it' on the economy.' "

Clinton, appearing Friday on NBC's "Today" show, said Romney's record in private business is fair game because the former Massachusetts governor has put such heavy emphasis on it. And he also said that Romney's refusal to release any full tax returns except for 2010 "struck me as a little odd."

Clinton said voters "ought to make up their own mind" whether they support someone who apparently sought to minimize his federal tax liability by parking large sums of money overseas.

Romney's tenure at Bain has been a major target for Obama, who has accused Romney of being an "outsourcing pioneer" who invested in companies that shipped jobs to China, India and elsewhere overseas. Romney claims he had no role in outsourcing U.S. jobs because much of that activity didn't happen until after 1999, when he says he had given up operational control at Bain.

The Romney campaign on Friday released a new television ad that depicts Obama as employing tactics he once decried. It features footage of Obama's 2008 convention speech declaring, "If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from."

A poll released Thursday by the Pew Research Center suggests Obama's attacks on Romney's background may be working. The poll, conducted June 28 through July 9, shows the president leading his Republican opponent 50 percent to 43 percent among registered voters. And Romney now lags behind Obama as the candidate better able to improve economic conditions. In the Pew Center's June poll, Romney held an eight-point edge on that question.

Obama's two-day visit to Virginia underscores his stepped-up attention to the shortlist of key states that will determine the outcome of the presidential contest.

Virginia, with 13 electoral votes, figures prominently in both the Obama and Romney strategies. But Obama has more options for an Election Day victory without Virginia than does Romney. Illustrating its importance, the state has seen the third heaviest television ad spending by the candidates and their allied groups, behind only Ohio and Florida.

The state is represented by two moderate Democratic senators. But since Obama won four years ago, Republicans have done well in state offices and a majority of the state's congressional seats are held by Republicans.

Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va., said the state could well decide not only the presidential election but control of the Senate: Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican George Allen, both former governors, are in a tight race to succeed Sen. Jim Webb, a Democrat.

Despite its relatively low unemployment rate of 5.6 percent, the state relies heavily on military contracts that could suffer significantly under automatic spending cuts authorized by Congress and signed by the president last year. The Hampton Roads area that Obama is visiting Friday is home to a large military presence ? the world's largest naval base is there ? and its economy is heavily dependent on defense spending.

___

Associated Press writer Jack Gillum contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-seeks-keep-once-red-virginia-side-074325116.html

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Fewer auto closings reduce US unemployment claims

In this Tuesday, July 10, 2012 photo, people walk by the recruiters at a jobs fair in the Pittsburgh suburb of Green Tree, Pa. The number of people seeking unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level in four years, a hopeful sign for the struggling job market. But the decline was partly due to temporary factors. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

In this Tuesday, July 10, 2012 photo, people walk by the recruiters at a jobs fair in the Pittsburgh suburb of Green Tree, Pa. The number of people seeking unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level in four years, a hopeful sign for the struggling job market. But the decline was partly due to temporary factors. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

In this July 10, 2012, photo, job seekers attend a career fair hosted by GreenTech Automotive in Horn Lake, Miss. The number of people seeking unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level in four years, a hopeful sign for the struggling job market. But the decline was partly due to temporary factors. (AP Photo/The Commercial Appeal, Mike Maple)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits plunged last week. But a big reason is that automakers have skipped some of their usual summer shutdowns to keep up with demand, causing fewer temporary auto layoffs.

Economists expect the number of Americans seeking unemployment aid to go back up in coming weeks.

The auto industry's recovery has helped support the struggling U.S. economy. U.S. auto sales in the first half of the year jumped 15 percent over the same period a year ago. Sales of new vehicles surged in June. Automakers also began Independence Day promotions early, lifting sales at the end of the month.

The Labor Department adjusts the number of applications for unemployment aid to account for seasonal factors. But it underestimated this summer's drop in temporary shutdowns of auto plants. That distorted the seasonally adjusted data it released Thursday.

And that may largely explain why applications for unemployment aid tumbled 26,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 350,000 ? the fewest since March 2008.

"Take July with a grain of salt," Jill Brown, an economist at Credit Suisse, said in a note to clients. The auto shutdowns "often cause extreme volatility."

Automakers traditionally close their plants in the first two weeks in July to prepare them to build new models, and their employees often file for unemployment benefits. But Ford Motor Co. said in May that it would reduce its usual two-week closing to just one week. And Chrysler canceled the normal two-week shutdowns at three factories.

Applications for unemployment benefits measure the pace of layoffs. When they consistently fall below 375,000, it generally suggests that hiring is strong enough to reduce the unemployment rate. The number has fluctuated at or above that level since April.

At the same time, hiring has slowed sharply compared with the first three months of the year. Employers added only 80,000 jobs in June, the third straight month of weak hiring. The unemployment rate was stuck at 8.2 percent.

And wages have barely kept up with inflation over the past year, leading consumers to pull back on spending.

The economy isn't growing fast enough to prompt more hiring. The economy grew at an annual rate of just 1.9 percent in the first three months of the year. Most economists don't think growth picked up in the April-June quarter. And some predict that it weakened.

The Federal Reserve expects the U.S. economy to grow just 1.9 percent to 2.4 percent for 2012. That's half a percentage point lower than the range it estimated in April. The Fed also says the unemployment rate won't fall much further this year than it has already.

Yet the auto industry is enjoying a rebound. From January through June, U.S. auto sales ran at an annual rate of 14.3 million, far better than last year's 12.8 million. Many analysts predict 15 million sales next year.

Much of the increase comes from pent-up demand. The average age of a vehicle on U.S. roads is nearing 11 years. Many are wearing out and need to be replaced.

The higher auto production also has ripple effects: Many parts companies have had to add workers to keep up with demand.

Chrysler's first-half sales are up more than 30 percent over the same period a year ago.

Ford's sales rose nearly 7 percent in the first half of 2012. It cut in half the usual two-week shutdowns at six assembly plants and seven engine and parts plants, all so it could make 40,000 more vehicles this year.

Most other areas of the U.S. economy aren't faring as well. That's why some analysts think applications for unemployment aid could rise in coming weeks, once the Labor Department's seasonal adjustments no longer include the summer auto shutdowns.

Most economists don't foresee a strong increase in hiring coming soon.

"We have been disappointed for the past three months, and I will believe that payroll gains have improved up when I see it," said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors.

___

Krisher contributed from Detroit.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-07-12-US-Unemployment-Benefits/id-34c79025e96a447da796e9536d50c318

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Alleged would-be suicide bomber to plead guilty

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows Shaker Masri, 29, of Chicago. On Thursday, July 12, 2012, prosecutors and defense attorneys in Chicago say they have an agreement for Masri, a terrorist suspect, to change his plea to guilty. Masri is accused of plotting to become a suicide bomber overseas. They set a July 20 court date for Masri change his plea. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshals Service, File)

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows Shaker Masri, 29, of Chicago. On Thursday, July 12, 2012, prosecutors and defense attorneys in Chicago say they have an agreement for Masri, a terrorist suspect, to change his plea to guilty. Masri is accused of plotting to become a suicide bomber overseas. They set a July 20 court date for Masri change his plea. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshals Service, File)

CHICAGO (AP) ? A 29-year-old Chicago man accused of plotting a suicide bombing overseas and claiming he was inspired by a radical Muslim cleric has agreed to change his plea to guilty, bringing to an end one of the last terrorism trials pending in the city's federal court.

A lawyer for Shaker Masri ? whose plea deal was announced Thursday at a status hearing ? told reporters that the agreement hammered out with the U.S. Attorney's Office was favorable to his client, though he declined to elaborate.

"Suffice to say, there comes a time when the government makes offers that are difficult to refuse in the light of the potential consequences," Thomas A. Durkin said.

Masri, who was born in Alabama and lived abroad before returning to the U.S. at age 18, was arrested in 2010 after the FBI exposed his alleged plot to attend a Somalia training camp to become a suicide bomber for terrorist groups al-Qaida and al-Shabab.

Attorneys left open the possibility that the plea deal could still unravel, but Durkin told U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman he was confident enough to have the Sept. 12 trial date cancelled. Coleman set July 20 as the day for Masri to change his plea.

None of the government attorneys spoke to reporters after the hearing.

Masri was charged with attempting to provide material support to a violent extremist group and trying to offer material support by use of a weapon of mass destruction outside the U.S. Those charges could carry a sentence of several decades in prison.

Masri allegedly told an informant he admired Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born cleric who is believed to have inspired the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings and the failed Christmas Day bombing of a jetliner approaching Detroit. A U.S. drone attack killed al-Awlaki last year.

Several others jailed in Chicago on terrorism charges also have cut plea deals recently, short-circuiting the need for trials and promising lesser sentences.

Suspects also know odds will be against them at trial.

According to the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School, out of 234 terrorism or terrorism-related criminal cases since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, 207 have resulted in convictions ? a conviction rate of nearly 90 percent.

"If you go to trial with a terrorism client, your chances are very slim," said Karen Greenberg, the director of the New York-based center.

But Greenberg said a string of recent plea deals in Chicago and elsewhere also might reflect a growing sophistication among defense attorneys, who after 9/11 didn't always have sufficient expertise to secure fair plea deals in terrorist cases.

"Until recently, it was an unfair fight" favoring prosecutors, she said. "Defense attorneys now have a better sense of how to get a good plea deal for their clients."

Among those who changed their pleas before ever making it to trial in Chicago was Sami Samir Hassoun. The Lebanese immigrant pleaded guilty in April to placing a backpack he thought held a bomb near Chicago's Wrigley Field. His sentencing date is Dec. 6.

And last month, a federal judge sentenced Chicago cabdriver Raja Lahrasib Khan for attempting to send aid to al-Qaida to a relatively lenient 7 1/2 years in prison after he changed his plea. He had faced up to 15 years.

___

Follow Michael Tarm at www.twitter.com/mtarm

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-07-12-Chicago-Terrorism%20Charges/id-bef4e79c07fd46f3a56fc1ef9d23be21

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Sweden to watch British interests in Iran

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sweden-watch-british-interests-iran-192210493.html

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'Hard-working' Wiggins hits out at doping doubters

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Strasburg dilemma looms for 1st-place Nationals

Associated Press Sports

updated 2:50 p.m. ET July 11, 2012

(Eds: With AP Photos.)

WASHINGTON (AP) - Stephen Strasburg chuckled the moment the subject was broached. His response sounded as if it had been memorized off a note card.

"I have no clue how many innings I'm going to throw this year," he said. "I've answered that question multiple times, and nobody's said anything to me. I feel great right now."

The All-Star right-hander keeps hearing the question because he's in the middle of a real head-scratcher. If the Washington Nationals are still looking like World Series contenders in September, will they really follow through with the plan to shut down their ace a month early?

That's been the plan all along. It's the accepted medical norm for a pitcher coming back from Tommy John surgery. The plug will be pulled somewhere around 160 innings, just as it was last year for TJ-comeback teammate Jordan Zimmermann, whose season came to an abrupt halt when he hit 161 1-3 on Aug. 28.

But this year's Nationals hit the break at 15 games over .500 and with a four-game lead in the NL East - and Strasburg having thrown 100 innings, including a scoreless frame in Tuesday night's All-Star game.

Remember, no major league baseball team in Washington has made the postseason since 1933.

The Strasburg plan seemed OK back in spring training when optimistic scenarios had the club perhaps in the mix for the brand new second wild-card berth, but now they might literally have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give the city a championship.

"Last year we almost got to .500, and I felt for sure the progression here was we could come close to winning 90 games if everything fell into place and we started doing the things I knew we were capable of doing," manager Davey Johnson said. "We got us more arms during the offseason, and they really helped me with the bench. There are more weapons here now to where we have progressed more rapidly."

Regardless, the Nationals aren't budging on The Strasburg Plan - at least not so far. General manager Mike Rizzo figures this young roster is poised to be a contender for years to come, so there's no use risking a gifted talent like Strasburg by pushing him too hard with a freshly reconstructed elbow.

Johnson, who usually doesn't analyze the schedule far in advance, said he's already looked at the September slate to figure out how to approach it without his best pitcher.

"I was curious as to who we were playing and what our schedule was that last month - absent Strasburg," Johnson said. "What type of pitcher might fit in best for going against the clubs that we're going to play that month."

Strasburg threw 99 innings in 17 starts before the break, going 9-4 with a 2.82 ERA. At this pace, he would probably hit his innings limit around the first week of September.

Of course, it's not as if the Nationals would suddenly fall off the earth without him. They've had the top rotation in the majors for much of the season with fellow All-Star Gio Gonzalez, Zimmermann, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler all sporting ERAs under 4.00.

"When you play this ballclub in a three-game series or even a four-game series," Colorado manager Jim Tracy said, "you've got your work cut out for you because they're going to send a pretty good starting pitcher to the mound every single day."

Chien-Ming Wang was supposed to be the fifth starter, but he's struggled and can't stay healthy, depriving the team of one reliable candidate to take Strasburg's spot when the time comes.

The Nationals, in fact, have made it a habit of winning without everyone on board. Catcher Wilson Ramos is out for the year. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, closer Drew Storen and outfielders Michael Morse and Jayson Werth are among those who have spent extended time either on the disabled list or hobbled with injuries.

"I don't know any club that could lose your 3-hole hitter, your 4-hole hitter, your 5-hitter, your starting catcher, your closer and done what we've accomplished in the first half," Johnson said. "And we're going to get healthier in the second half, so I think the pressure that we've had to deal with to this point has been a lot more than is going to be coming in the second half.

"We've weathered a pretty rough storm," the manager said, "so the schedule and who we play in the second half doesn't look that daunting to me. There were times early on when they were dropping like flies. It was looking pretty bleak, but we managed to get through it, so I'm looking at it more as now the fun begins. We'll see how good we are. I'm much more comfortable and much more relaxed, believe it or not, coming into the second half."

Even if he doesn't have Strasburg all the way to the end.

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Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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