Video: Sideshow: Bill Clinton, ?Father of the Year?

A few of our favorite things: The coming year's most thrilling technologies

Every January, reporters on the tech beat kiss their families goodbye and surrender a week of their lives to the concrete fauxtopia of Las Vegas, in exchange for knowledge of the things to come. This year, at that Consumer Electronics Show of which I speak, we saw forks that track what you eat, robots that cling to windows, chairs that block out unwanted noise, and other wonders.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/hardball/50426202/

lotto Illinois Lottery texas lottery Dell Levis Fireman Ed Allegiant Air

Winter storm batters Mideast, 8 dead

Syrian refugee children have a snowball fight at the mountain town of Bhamdoun, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. The fiercest winter storm to hit the Middle East in years has unleashed flash flooding, strong winds and a snowstorm that killed six people in the past few days, according to the Lebanese Red Cross. The Lebanese mountains have been covered with record snow fall that has brought traffic to a standstill and shut down mountain passes across the country. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Syrian refugee children have a snowball fight at the mountain town of Bhamdoun, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. The fiercest winter storm to hit the Middle East in years has unleashed flash flooding, strong winds and a snowstorm that killed six people in the past few days, according to the Lebanese Red Cross. The Lebanese mountains have been covered with record snow fall that has brought traffic to a standstill and shut down mountain passes across the country. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Palestinians help a man on their donkey cart to make their way in flooded water in Rafah? southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. In Gaza, civil defense spokesman Mohammed al-Haj Yousef said storms have cut electricity powering thousands of homes and rescuers were sent to evacuate dozens of people. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)

A Palestinian rescue worker helps a boy cross a flooded street in Rafah southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. In Gaza, civil defense spokesman Mohammed al-Haj Yousef said storms have cut electricity powering thousands of homes and rescuers were sent to evacuate dozens of people. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)

Palestinians cross a road flooded and swept away by heavy rains in the northern West Bank village of Kabatyeh, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. A Palestinian official says the fiercest storm to hit the area in a decade has claimed the lives of two West Bank women who drowned after their car was caught in a flash flood unleashed by torrential rains. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)

Palestinians cross a road flooded and swept away by heavy rains in the northern West Bank village of Kabatyeh, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. A Palestinian official says the fiercest storm to hit the area in a decade has claimed the lives of two West Bank women who drowned after their car was caught in a flash flood unleashed by torrential rains. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)

(AP) ? The fiercest winter storm to hit the Mideast in years brought a rare foot of snow to Jordan on Wednesday, caused fatal accidents in Lebanon and the West Bank, and disrupted traffic on the Suez Canal in Egypt. At least eight people died across the region.

In Lebanon, the Red Cross said storm-related accidents killed six people over the past two days. Several drowned after slipping into rivers from flooded roads, one person froze to death and another died after his car went off a slippery road, according to George Kettaneh, Operations Director for the Lebanese Red Cross.

In the West Bank town of Ramallah, a Palestinian official said two West Bank women drowned after their car was caught in a flash flood on Tuesday. Nablus Deputy Governor Annan Atirah said the women abandoned their vehicle after it got stuck on a flooded road, and their bodies were apparently swept away by surging waters. Their driver was hospitalized in critical condition.

In the Gaza Strip, civil defense spokesman Mohammed al-Haj Yousef said storms cut electricity to thousands of Palestinian homes and rescuers were sent to evacuate dozens of people.

Parts of Israel were bracing for snow a day after the military was forced to send helicopters and rubber dinghies to rescue residents stranded by floodwaters. In Jerusalem, streets were mostly empty as light snow began to stick Wednesday night. School was canceled for the next day because of the weather, which Israeli meteorologists said was the stormiest in a decade.

The unusual weather over the past few days hit vulnerable Syrian refugees living in tent camps very hard, particularly some 50,000 sheltering in the Zaatari camp in Jordan's northern desert. Torrential rains over four days have flooded some 200 tents and forced women and infants to evacuate in temperatures that dipped below freezing at night, whipping wind and lashing rain.

"It's been freezing cold and constant rain for the past four days," lamented Ahmad Tobara, 44, who evacuated his tent when its shafts submerged in flood water in Zaatari. A camp spokesman said that by Wednesday, some 1,500 refugees had been displaced within the camp and were now living in mobile homes normally used for schools.

Weather officials said winds exceeded 45 miles (70 kilometers) per hour and the rain left two feet (70 centimeters) of water on the streets.

The storm dumped at least a foot of snow on many parts of Jordan and was accompanied by lashing wind, lightning and thunder. It shut schools, stranded motorists and delayed international flights, Jordanian weatherman Mohammed Samawi said. The unusually heavy snowfall blocked streets in the capital Amman and isolated remote villages, prompting warnings from authorities for people to stay home as snow plows tried to reopen clogged roads. It forced at least 400 families to evacuate their homes and move to government shelters overnight.

Samawi called it the "fiercest storm to hit the Mideast in the month of January in at least 30 years."

The snowstorm followed four days of torrential rain, which caused flooding in many areas across the country.

In Lebanon, several days of winds and heavy rain along the coast and record snow in the mountains caused power outages across the country, blocked traffic and shut down mountain passes. Later Wednesday, snow is forecast at altitudes higher than 200 yards (meters), while rain that has already flooded suburbs of the capital, Beirut, should continue.

In Egypt, rare downpours, strong winds and low visibility disrupted Suez Canal operations over the past three days and also led to the closure of several ports. The number of ships moving through the Suez Canal had fallen by half because of poor visibility, the official MENA news agency reported. A canal official said that by Wednesday, operations had returned to normal. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.

MENA also reported that ports in the northern Mediterranean city of Alexandria and Dakhila were shut down, while cities in the Nile Delta suffered power outages and fishing stopped in cities like Damietta, northeast of Cairo.

MENA also reported 10 fishermen went missing after their boat capsized near Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean.

In Syria, where a civil war is raging, snow was piling up in and around the capital, Damascus. Officials said many villages in central Homs province and along the southern border with Israel have been cut off after heavy snowfall. Torrential rains are expected over the next three days with temperatures around freezing. Some 2.5 million people within Syria have been displaced in fighting that has stretched on for nearly two years now.

____

Surk reported from Beirut. Associated Press reporters Mohammad Hannon in Zaatari, Jordan, Amy Teibel and Ian Deitch in Jerusalem and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-09-Mideast-Weather/id-c622f2f6cf404d1ca7d70d470a519c48

Girl Meets World Jason Babin Nolan Daniels angus t. jones monday night football monday night football SEC Championship Game 2012

marlowe1: Wow. It's like creepy Canadians are so much more ...

I'm just going to go ahead and blame sabotabby for making me look up sites named friendzone. I found http://friendzone.ca/ and http://friendzone.com/ and while both sites are creepy sites for dudes who see the act of befriending women as a means to an end. The attitude is clueless at best and deeply misogynist at worst. Yet the Canadian version almost seems reasonable. Oh sure, it's creepy and it totally loves that "if she seems to like you as a friend, get totally into her shit and make out with her" advice. But the pictures are almost sane and the first page has these tips:
TIP #1 If you are in the ?friend zone? chances are you could be labeled as the stereotypical ?nice person?. This basically means that you spare other people?s feelings no matter what the cost to yourself and your feelings. An example of this might be that you are interested in your friend romantically, but don?t want to let them know because of what you are afraid will happen. Try to find a way to be sweet, but have feelings of your own at the same time. Always sparing the feelings of others makes you look like a pushover who has low self-esteem. Plus, if you never make your feelings know, how do you even know for sure that you?re in the ?friend zone?.

TIP #2 Acting as if being in a relationship is the most important thing in the world is a big turn off to other people. If your way of showing your friend that you want to be in a relationship is by talking constantly about relationships and how you?d love to be in one, then it will never happen. Your neediness is probably coming off as desperation, so step back and have some confidence. Don?t act like not being in a relationship is the end of the world.

TIP #3 There is usually a big difference between how friends touch and how people in a relationship touch. Some people might be fine with cuddling with a friend, while others will not. Examine if you are getting the signals wrong from the person you?re interested in. If you are scared to touch this person, your hesitancy could be what is stalling the relationship. Touch them first to gauge their reactions and go from there.

TIP #4 It is possible that you and the person you are interested in have very different ideas about what makes a romantic relationship and a friendship different. It?s possible that you see a romantic relationship as nothing more than a friendship with intimacy. The person you like could have different ideas. If you expect your relationship to get to the next level and this is how the other person feels, then it will never get anywhere. A good majority of people expect to be wooed by someone who is interested in them. If you continue to just act like a friend the relationship is doomed.

TIP #5 At some point you may realize that the person you are interested in is not going to ever be interested in romance. You could be doing yourself a disservice by continuing to harbour feelings that will end up going nowhere. The best thing to do at this point is to cut off the ?friendship? and make it more like a casual acquaintance relationship. If necessary explain to the other person that you really like them, but it?s time to move on. Spare your feelings, because they are just as important as everyone else?s.

And yeah, tips 3 and 4 are creepy (or very easy to get creepy) but tips 1 and 2 are basically the same as the magical clitoris' advice (yeah I wanted to write that) from the South Park Movie: "Dude just have confidence in yourself." While tip # 5 is actually solid advice. And it's the kind of advice that everyone needs to hear at one point.

The advice basically comes down to "if you are friends with a woman and you are viewing it as a shitty consolation prize for that amazing relationship complete with house, kids and hot hot sex, then give up and move on."

Of course, better advice would be "DON'T have that attitude." But easier said than done. Pause for shitty memories. Ok.

On the other hand, friendzone.com gives us that can-do American spirit (as in damn, I know we have a reputation as being a nation of gun toting douchebags but we don't have to confirm it):

You're in the friendzone, the woman of your dreams is not going to wake up someday and say "Oh shit! jake is the one I want to be with" It just does not happen like that. I can make it happen for you.

With my System You will get your girl, I guarantee it."

I have no problem telling you this because I know a lot of people just like you, so don't be offended. I have never once in my life been in the dreaded friendzone, my intentions are clear from the moment I meet any girl. I don't have time to listen to girls bullshit, I have enough shit going on in my life. I sure has hell do not have the time to deal with her problems and then worst of all, not get laid. I don't know how you pussies deal with it, but I am going to help you because I've helped countless people like you. And lastly, don't get offended and close the page now because if you do, you will be in the dreaded friendzone until the end of time. While the guy who listened is most likely dating your girl, don't worry though, you will be at the wedding.... alone.

Oh, I believe that you've never been in the friendzone, "Bryce" because a woman has to actually want to be friends with you before she can friendzone you. I don't really see any females even being able to bullshit their way through a "I like you more as a friend" speech before going to the more honest "get the fuck away from me."

It even has this -

Although it should be noted that that movie (yeah I saw it - I don't always hate Ryan Reynolds - sometimes he can actually carry a movie - especially if it's not a superhero movie) ends with the main character yelling "you can't play games or force someone to like you. All you can do is put yourself out there and hope for the best."

I don't think that Bryce saw the movie - or he probably found that part unbelievable for different reasons than I might find it unbelievable. I don't believe that people have sudden revelations that totally reveal why they are fucking up their lives and then shout them out. He just doesn't believe that it's a message.

Hell, even the Canadians are reasonable in their pricing - $4.99 for a book that basically comes down to "go ahead. Take a chance" and a lot of Billy Joel lyrics.

The American friendzone guy is charging $14.99 for a 30 page book and a phone consultation:


My System is only $14.95

And it includes a 30 page guide on getting out of the friendzone + a 15 minute phone consultation with me where you can explain your situation and I can give you custom advice

P.S. I know you're probably skeptical, but what do you really have to lose? Do you know how much time and money you have already wasted thinking about this, it's time to try my system and get the girl. You can go surf youtube videos and read forum comments all day about getting out of the friendzone but none of these people know what they are talking about. You know what they say about opinions right? Well, I am ready to step up to the plate, learn your situation and deal with it.

Although, if the best method you have for dealing with your emotional issues is to seek advice from YOUTUBE COMMENTS then maybe you should pay this guy $15 for his phone consultation.

It's not nearly enough money to talk to your dumb ass and not laugh at you.

Source: http://marlowe1.livejournal.com/2103832.html

salton sea arizona immigration law aubrey huff the killers julianne hough brandy michael pineda

Q&A: Returning to Windows 7 - NYTimes.com

Q.

I have tried it and I can?t stand Windows 8. Can I go back to Windows 7, even on a brand-new computer that had Windows 8 pre-installed?

A.

Windows 8 Pro machines are eligible for ?downgrade? rights to go back to an older version of Windows, but check with your computer?s manufacturer to see what is involved ? and if it is possible to get a Windows 7 installation disc or download if you do not already have a copy of the system. Dell Computer, for example, has information here. You should also check if there are any technical support issues with installing the older system on the computer, as some drivers and the software may not work properly if they were designed for Windows 8. Microsoft?s site has its own page of information on downgrade rights.

If you are running a different version of Windows 8 or just want to downgrade on your own, you need to have a copy of Windows 7 to install on the computer. Microsoft still sells the system and you can find it on other sites that sell software. Before you install the new system, back up your files and be prepared to reinstall all your programs.

As a security measure, Windows 8 uses the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) instead of the older BIOS software that earlier PC?s used to control basic system functions. While UEFI can prevent malicious software from booting up with the computer, its Secure Boot feature can also hinder the use of other operating systems on the computer. (If needed, sample instructions for disabling the Secure Boot can be found here.)

If downgrading the computer to Windows 7 is beginning to sound like too much of a hassle, several online guides to the new system may help you feel more comfortable with Windows 8. Microsoft has its own set of ?Get to Know Windows? tutorials, but third-party guides like those found at Tom?s Hardware or Gizmodo may have a more objective point of view about using the new system; Gizmodo even suggests creating a hard drive partition to have both systems on the computer.

Source: http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/qa-returning-to-windows-7/

Kourtney Kardashian Baby Girl Ashton Eaton London 2012 basketball London 2012 Slalom Canoe Alex Morgan Misty May Treanor Lolo Jones

27% Think Teachers Should Carry Guns

Since Google Earth launched in 2005, there have been dozens of mysterious images (supposed planes and bunkers, even the face of Jesus) captured by the satellites used for the virtual mapping program. But according to Allen Thomson, this one may be the weirdest. Thomson, a former CIA analyst, was recently using Google Earth while searching [...]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/27-think-teachers-carry-guns-181821984.html

boston weather dr seuss birthday jennifer garner jennifer garner romney michigan derrick williams railgun

Good News: Trademark Use after Licensor's Bankruptcy

http://franchiselaw.foxrothschild.com/2012/12/articles/legal-decisions/good-n...

Good News: Trademark Use after Licensor?s Bankruptcy

Posted on December 31, 2012 by John Gotaskie

Contributed by Michael Viscount and Brian Isen.

What is the impact of a bankruptcy filing on the ability of a franchisee to continue utilizing the trademarks of the franchisor???

?Title 11 of the United States Code, better known as the ?Bankruptcy Code?, allows companies to not only restructure their debts, but to modify current contractual obligations by rejecting contracts.? Debtors have the ability to reject contracts when there are continuing contractual obligations for both parties.? It follows that a bankrupt franchisor could potentially reject a franchise?.?

Source: http://www.pmflegal.com/blog/index.php/2013/01/08/good-news-trademark-use-after-licensors-bankruptcy/

hillary clinton weather seahawks kennedy center honors boxing day george h w bush ufc

Orange County Parks and Recreation Announces the Daddy ...

The Orange County Parks and Recreation Division will host the Daddy-Daughter Dances in?February, 2013, celebrating the fable of Valentine?s Day. The community event is being held for K-5th?grade girls only. Registration requires a $25 fee for the couple and $10 extra for couples with more?than one daughter, per daughter. The fees cover a unique photo to be granted to each couple upon?attending any of the six events. Refreshments will be included. It is recommended that every couple?dress in island attire.

See specific dates, times, locations and addresses below:

? Friday, Feb. 1, 7pm ? 10pm: Silver Star Recreation Center, 2801 N. Apopka Vineland Rd.,
Orlando, 407-254-9250.

? Saturday, Feb. 2, 6pm ? 9pm: West Orange Recreation Center, 309 S. West Crown Point Rd.,
Winter Garden, 407-254-9245.

? Friday, Feb. 8, 7pm ? 10pm: Meadow Woods Recreation Center, 1751 Rhode Island Woods
Cir., Orlando, 407-254-9065.

? Friday, Feb. 8, 7pm ? 10pm: Pershing Elementary School, 1800 Pershing Ave., Orlando ?
register at Fort Gatlin Recreation Complex, 407-254-9820.

? Saturday, Feb. 9, 6pm ? 9pm: Goldenrod Recreation Center, 4863 N. Goldenrod Rd., Winter
Park, 407-254-9025.

? Saturday, Feb. 9, 6pm ? 9pm: South Econ Recreation Center, 3850 S. Econlockhatchee Trail,
Orlando, 407-254-9092.

For any additional information, contact Mandy J. Kimmer, APR, CPRC, Acting Marketing Program
Coordinator.

Office Phone Number: 407-836-6257;?E-mail: Amanda.Kimmer@ocfl.net

For further information about the Orange County Parks and Recreation Division, please visit
www.OrangeCountyParks.net.

Source: http://westorlandonews.com/2013/01/07/orange-county-parks-and-recreation-announces-the-daddy-daughter-dances/

amber portwood Phyllis Diller Darla Moore newsweek Tony Scott UFC 151 empire state building

Rufus, the Cairn Terrier (reader pets)

This is Rufus, a Cairn Terrier we ?saved? from a pet group here in Eureka called ?The Farm Store.? They attempt to buy as many pets around northern CA that are destined to be destroyed by over-run pet sanctuaries.

Rufus is two years old, spent all his life in a kennel, and is one of the most adroit dogs we?ve ever encountered. He can jump from a standing still position straight up six feet or so. And that keen eye his Scottish breeders sought to heighten to see the voles and little?varmints?eating that great Scottish grain, together with lightening fast reflexes, allows him to grab a fisbee out of my hand before I even get a chance to throw it.

?

pets dog rufus

For a couple of gay dads (now grandfathers) he?s a welcome reminder to us to get up off our soft asses and walk him, and he makes no bones about it. So we have a very loving and symbiotic relationship. He knows he?s in a loving home, has a variety of moods that occasionally flash across his face, and he is fiercely devoted.

pets dog rufus

I?m pretty sure at some level he knows that we saved him for a really horrible life, and in his own little ways tries very hard to please us ? which he does constantly, whether it?s by sleeping on his back, paws straight up, with his body in a ?smilely? pose, or his effort to befriend every dog, big or small, that he meets.

pets dog rufus

Ed and Rufus.

At our age, Rufus is a true gift. Hopefully we?re returning the good karma he?s earned in his short, unhappy life before we came along.

Erin Stevenson
Eureka, CA

John Aravosis
@aravosis | Facebook | Google+. Editor of AMERICAblog, joint JD/MSFS from Georgetown, worked in the US Senate, World Bank, Children's Defense Fund, and as a stringer for the Economist. A frequent TV pundit, he has been on The O'Reilly Factor, Hardball, World News Tonight, Nightline & Reliable Sources. Full bio and article archive.

Source: http://americablog.com/2013/01/rufus-the-cairn-terrier-reader-pets.html

starship troopers starship troopers cruise ship italy patriots broncos game saints willis mcgahee willis mcgahee

Why Your Next Laptop Won?t Be Just a Laptop

Your next laptop is probably going to be a lot more than just a laptop. Touch screens are spurring wild new designs in a category called convertibles. So will your next notebook flip, rip, double or roll?

Let?s think of this historically; your old laptop opens and closes. Or maybe you have a tablet with a single, standard touchscreen.? But the introduction of touchscreen recognition in the Windows 8 operating system has computer manufacturers trying to combine those two devices in inventive new ways.

Lenovo Yoga 11Suyl_ep98_large
We saw the start of this innovation last year with the Lenovo Yoga, and now they?ve just announced a more sophisticated little sister ? the Yoga 11S. It?s an 11-inch laptop running a full version of Windows 8, but its double-jointed hinge lets you open it all the way up and flip it over into a tablet. Retail price: $799.

Lenovo Helix
From the flip, we move to the rip. Also from Lenovo ? the Helix. It flips over like the Yoga, but you have the option to rip the screen out into a stand-alone tablet. It is fully touch capable and has a built in Wacom stylus. Lenovo says it will run for 5 hours in stand-alone tablet mode or 10 hours if docked. Bonus: when docked, a fan system can cool the CPU, allowing the device to overclock itself and run a little faster ? that?s awesome.? Available in February; $1499.

MSI Slider
MSI presents a totally different design: the MSI Slider.? It runs a full version of Windows 8 on an Intel Core i5 processor, but it seems like it?s primarily designed to be used as a touch tablet. When you want a keyboard, you slide the screen back and up. The keyboard is at the front of the underlying dock, so there?s no place to rest your palms and wrists, but if you only want a keyboard occasionally, this might be the design choice for you. Available by March, 2013; $1,099.

ASUS Transformer All-In-One
ASUS is going in a totally different direction with one of its convertibles. The Transformer All-In-One looks like a desktop PC running Windows 8. But the 18-inch screen can be pulled from its stand to function as a massive Android tablet. Imagine putting it on your lap to play Plants vs. Zombies or stream a movie. Whoa! ASUS says that in this tablet mode, the battery will last 4-5 hours. Price TBD.

Lenovo Horizon 27
Another big statement in convertibles is the Lenovo Horizon 27. This 27-inch touchscreen tablet runs Windows 8 with a wireless keyboard and mouse. You can prop it up on your desk for a 16:9 display or put it on a rolling stand so it lays flat. As my colleague Joanna Stern says, it?s a tablet that turns into a table. Sure, you could prop a bowl of cheerios on it while streaming your favorite videos, but the more practical idea is for meetings where people would stand around the tablet and collaborate. $1699.

ASUS Taichi
ASUS announced the Taichi hybrid earlier, but we?re seeing it for the first time here at CES. It?s a dual screen notebook. So you can use it as a notebook when open, a touch tablet when closed, or two people could use it at the same time when open, one on the notebook side and one on the tablet side ? it would look a little like a game of battleship.? I can?t completely imagine this being useful in the home setting, but I could absolutely see this being a tool in some retail or professional environments, for presentations or as a tutoring tool. ?Price TBD.

Intel Haswell Chips
One development for convertibles and ultrabooks alike is the announcement Monday of a new family of chips from Intel. Code-named Haswell, these new 4th generation Intel Core processors are all about reducing power consumption to improve battery life. Their aim is to double existing battery life up to 13 hours in some devices. An Intel spokesperson told us they expect to see a dozen new devices with these processors starting to roll out by March of 2013.

Android Devices And Tablets
Finally, this year will provide a boom in Android tablets. The theme so far has been lifestyle and budget.? NVIDIA shook things up early when they announced their entry into gaming devices, called Project Shield, which plays Android games. It has a console-quality controller complete with D-pad, face buttons, and triggers. It packs powerful speakers and can stream video over Wi-Fi.

Appliance maker Dacor has a $7500 oven that has an Android tablet ?baked in.? They say it adds a ton of connected features to the oven ? and about $1000 to the price tag.

On the other end of the spectrum, Coby has a $149 Android tablet. Alcatel has two Android tablets for less than $200.? And Acer has confirmed a $99 Android tablet called the Iconia B1 that?s aimed pretty squarely at newbies and kids. Polaroid has gone whole hog for the under-12 set, releasing a $149 ?Kids Tablet? loaded with goodies for the aspiring digital photographer or videographer.

Check back for more CES coverage or like us on Facebook to get the must-see consumer tech developments delivered to your newsfeed.

[Related: Transparent TVs and Bendable Phones: CES Rumor Roundup]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upgrade-your-life/why-next-laptop-won-t-just-laptop-082022741.html

the bachelor finale march madness bracket south by southwest i want to know what love is courtney mercury retrograde bath salts

Facebook Marketing Firm Spruce Media Lays Off ... - Business Insider

Lucy Jacobs / Spruce Media

Spruce Media's Jacobs

?

Facebook marketing management firm Spruce Media laid off about 20 people yesterday, COO Lucy Jacobs confirmed to Business Insider. The company's headcount is now about 35 people.

The move came because Spruce wants to align its business with shifts in the way its clients are marketing and buying ads on Facebook.

Founded in 2009, Spruce had built a large managed services team to walk clients through the Facebook process.

In recent months, however, Spruce experienced more success licensing its self-serve ad management platform to ad agency trading desks, who handle large buys for multiple clients. That software-as-a-service business needs fewer staff to handle a larger volume ? thus the headcount reduction at Spruce.

Jacobs tells us that the layoffs were not the result of a revenue dip. Spruce ought to be in rude financial health, as it obtained a $15 million debt financing round in November. The company says it handles $150 million a year in Facebook ads, and has been profitable on an EBITDA basis since 2010.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-marketing-firm-spruce-media-lays-off-20-people-2013-1

gi joe jason wu for target collection jason wu jason wu the patriot nick diaz vs carlos condit hall of fame